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This marks a curious aspect of the English team's autumn perfect record that there were no debutants earned their first cap during the series of matches, something not seen in 25 years. Yet, Max Ojomoh's display against Argentina while securing his second cap seemed to be the breakthrough of a future star.

Star Performance in Hard-Fought Win

He proved to be the star turn in what was the team's most challenging outing of the November series. He finished off the opening touchdown before setting up the remaining two. The setup for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a delightful long pass was the champagne moment of the opening period. Likewise, his quick offload to Henry Slade for the team's final score was just as impressive, capping off a fine debut performance at the home stadium for the 25-year-old.

He has the sort of versatile skillset that every manager desire from their inside-centre. He can run, kick and pass, and he has appeared at fly-half and at multiple midfield roles for Bath this season.

Rapid Rise and Future Opportunities

It is just a little over a week since Steve Borthwick might have felt he had finally unearthed his midfield duo for the future. But, the highest praise that can be paid to the young star is that Borthwick might need to reconsider. He was initially selected to an England squad previously, but had to bide his time until the final match of the overseas trip to earn his first cap. Fitness issues to other players paved the way for Ojomoh to begin here, and he undoubtedly will be in contention for a further appearance when England regroup to start their championship quest in the new year.

• Versatile Skillset: Can play fly-half and midfield.
• Key Contributions: Scored one try and assisted two.
• Important Performance: Delivered when others were unavailable.

Team Context and Broader Significance

How would England have fared against their opponents without him? Undoubtedly they had some fortune and perhaps it is not surprising that he was their best player. England showed an natural decline in energy following a major win over New Zealand. Perhaps Borthwick ought to have made more changes.

A balanced view is needed, though. It is tempting to criticize England for their failure to inject much urgency into this contest, or for nearly losing a game they were controlling. However, this outcome marks a perfect record of four autumn fixtures for the first time since recent years. The year ends with 11 straight wins after beginning with a loss. The team is midway in the four-year tournament plan and things look much more positive for the coach than they did at this stage.

Player Pool and Long-Term Strategy

Borthwick appears that, with time remaining from the global tournament, he knows the core group of the squad he will bring to Australia. Of course, there will be the odd bolter. Yet there are not many existing players of the squad who are not on track for the 2027 tournament.

That represents an benefit because it posed an issue for his predecessor, who found it difficult when it became apparent that veterans were not going to feature in his strategy. He seems to have grasped the nettle sooner, preventing the difficult beginning that affected the squad in the previous cycle.

Depth charts seem like they belong to sailors of yesteryear, but coaches swear by them and Borthwick can be happy with his. Under different circumstances, the team might be nursing their wounds after a heartbreaking narrow loss. The fact they avoided that is largely due to the young star, fortune, and the quality of the substitutes. While Borthwick plots a course to the Six Nations, he has wind in England's sails after an unbeaten run, and therefore we can forgive the paucity of this performance.