Max Ojomoh Provides Champagne Highlight for England to Mark Arrival on Big Stage.
It is a interesting feature of England's autumn clean sweep that there were no debutants earned their first cap throughout the recent campaign, something not seen in a quarter of a century. Yet, the performance of Max Ojomoh showing against Argentina while securing his second cap seemed to be the arrival of a major talent.
Star Performance in Tight Win
Ojomoh was the key player in what was England's least convincing outing of the autumn. He finished off the first try before creating the remaining two. His assist for his teammate via a exquisite long pass was the champagne moment of the first half. Similarly, his quick offload to Henry Slade for England's final score was equally eye-catching, concluding a excellent first outing at Twickenham for the 25-year-old.
He has the kind of versatile skillset that every manager desire from their midfield player. His abilities include running, kicking, and passing, and he has featured at fly-half and at multiple midfield roles for Bath this season.
Rapid Rise and Upcoming Opportunities
It is just eight days since the head coach might have felt he had discovered his midfield duo for the future. But, the highest praise that can be given to the young star is that the coach may have 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 him to begin here, and he undoubtedly will be in contention for a third cap when the squad reconvene to start their championship campaign in the coming months.
- Versatile Skillset: Excels at number ten and midfield.
- Key Contributions: Scored one try and set up two more.
- Important Performance: Delivered when others were unavailable.
Team Background and Wider Implications
Where might England have fared against their opponents without him? Undoubtedly they had some fortune and maybe it is not surprising that he was their best player. The team experienced an natural decline in energy following a significant victory over the All Blacks. Perhaps the coach should have made more changes.
Some perspective is required, however. It is tempting to lambast the side for their failure to bring much urgency into this match, or for nearly losing a game they were dominating. However, this result marks a clean sweep of November matches for the first time since 2016. 2025 ends with 11 straight wins after starting with a defeat. The team is halfway through the four-year tournament plan and things look much more positive for the coach than they did previously.
Squad Depth and Future Planning
Borthwick gives the impression that, two years out from the global tournament, he understands the core group of the squad he will take to Australia. Naturally, there will be the odd bolter. Yet there are very few current members of the squad who are not in contention for the 2027 tournament.
That represents an benefit because it was a problem for his preceding coach, who found it difficult when it was clear that veterans were not going to play in his plans. He seems to have grasped the nettle earlier, avoiding the torrid start that plagued the team in the past.
Player rankings sound like they are for seafarers of the past, but coaches swear by them and Borthwick can be happy with his. On another day, the team might be dealing with a loss after a gut-wrenching narrow loss. That they were not is largely due to the young star, fortune, and the strength of the substitutes. While Borthwick plots a course to the Six Nations, he has positive momentum after 11 wins in a row, and therefore we can forgive the lack of quality of this performance.