This marks a curious aspect of England's autumn perfect record that there were no debutants earned their international debut during the recent campaign, a scenario not seen in 25 years. Yet, the performance of Max Ojomoh showing against Argentina while securing his second appearance seemed to be the breakthrough of a future star.
Ojomoh was the star turn in what was the team's most challenging outing of the November series. He scored the opening touchdown before creating the other two. The setup for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso via a exquisite cross-field kick was the highlight play of the opening period. Similarly, his quick offload to the center for England's third try was equally eye-catching, capping off a excellent first outing at the home stadium for the young player.
He has the kind of triple threat that all coaches would want from their midfield player. He can run, kick and pass, and he has featured at fly-half and at both centre positions for Bath this campaign.
It is just eight days since Steve Borthwick might have felt he had discovered his midfield duo for the long term. But, the best compliment that can be given to Ojomoh is that Borthwick may have to reconsider. He was first called up to an England squad four years ago, but had to bide his time until the last game of the overseas trip to earn his first cap. Fitness issues to teammates created the opportunity for him to begin here, and he surely will be in consideration for a third cap when England reconvene to start their championship quest in the coming months.
How would England have fared against Argentina without Ojomoh? Certainly they rode their luck and maybe it is not surprising that he was their best player. The team showed an inevitable drop-off in energy following a significant victory over New Zealand. Perhaps Borthwick should have made more changes.
Some perspective is required, however. It is tempting to lambast England for their inability to bring much urgency into this contest, or for nearly losing a game they were dominating. But, this outcome marks a perfect record of November matches for the first time since recent years. The year ends with eleven consecutive victories after beginning with a loss. The team is midway in the World Cup cycle and the situation look much more positive for Borthwick than they did at this stage.
Borthwick appears that, with time remaining from the global tournament, he knows the core group of the team he will take to the host nation. Of course, there will be the odd bolter. Yet there are very few current members of the squad who are not on track for the 2027 tournament.
This is an advantage because it posed an issue for his preceding coach, who struggled when it was clear that certain players were not going to feature in his strategy. He seems to have taken action earlier, preventing the torrid beginning that affected the team in the previous cycle.
Depth charts sound like they belong to sailors of yesteryear, but managers swear by them and the coach can be satisfied with his. Under different circumstances, the team might be dealing with a loss after a gut-wrenching narrow loss. The fact they avoided that is largely due to Ojomoh, luck, and the strength of the bench. As the coach plots a course to the Six Nations, he has wind in England's sails after an unbeaten run, and as a result we can overlook the lack of quality of this performance.
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