England v Argentina Quilter Nations Series storylines: Max Ojomoh proof of depth, Six Nations favourites, forgetting how to lose

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And that makes it four from four. Steve Borthwick's England are flying after recording their 11th successive win with a 27-23 victory over Argentina at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham. It was far from a glorious performance, but it was a game in which a short time ago they may have capitulated. Max Ojomoh had a breakout performance in the midfield and England ended 2025 on a high note.

'Scoring for his country!' - Ojomoh opportunistically strikes for his first England try

Video credit: TNT Sports

The last four weekends have seen the temperature drop. The days are colder, nights are darker, and the excitement of life seems to pause at least until Christmas.

But this November has been anything but dull for Steve Borthwick and his squad, who have shown perhaps the greatest signs of growth in his tenure so far.

They capped a successful Quilter Nations Series campaign with a gutsy 27-23 win over Argentina and, for the first time since 2016, won all four of their autumn games.

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The fourth and final victory was not quite as imposing as wins over the All Blacks or Wallabies.

But it may have been England's most exhilarating Test of the month as a resurgent Pumas side threatened to spoil the party at Twickenham with a late win.

Ojomoh is proof of England's depth

That Max Ojomoh could seamlessly slot into England's midfield and produce a performance worthy of a Test-level centre, is both a testament to his own ability and the depth that Borthwick has developed.

In the usual pecking order, there is at least Ollie Lawrence, Fraser Dingwall, Seb Atkinson, and Tommy Freeman ahead of him in selection.

But the 25-year-old started, for the first time at home, in their absence, and immediately gave Borthwick a valuable option in midfield.

It was an irony that England's least convincing performance of the autumn housed arguably an English player's most exciting individual display, scoring the opening try and setting up two others in a Player of the Match masterclass.

'No one is stopping him!' - Feyi-Waboso catches perfect cross-field kick and strides in to score

Video credit: TNT Sports

The perfect set-up for the Six Nations

In 2019, after England stunningly defeated the All Blacks 19-7 to make the World Cup final in Japan, Wales boss Warren Gatland wondered if Eddie Jones' side had played their final a week early.

England lost 32-12 to South Africa in that final, and Jones himself admitted that a hangover from the New Zealand victory could have been a factor.

Six years later, and whilst the stakes against Argentina were far from the level of a World Cup final, it was still vital that England followed up a landmark win with another performance.

It will be even more crucial that they bottle the momentum from this autumn and carry that into the Six Nations in February.

A Grand Slam will be difficult with three games away, but it may not be hyperbole to say that England have positioned themselves as the second-greatest side in the world behind South Africa, and with that comes the heavy tag of being favourites for the Six Nations.

Borthwick has blooded plenty of players, and with a full, healthy squad, they will be in phenomenal shape come the Six Nations. And, what's more, they may look even better for the World Cup in two years.

Borthwick still needs a game-changer

The depth Borthwick has curated is extraordinary. Fin Smith and George Ford make an amazing fly-half duo, and the forward pack, on and off the bench, is coming into their own,

But England are still missing a very specific archetype, and that is a player who can single-handedly change a game.

Things will not go your way every week and even after three incredible performances, England were within reach of a defeat at home to Argentina as the visitors surged with a late comeback, spearheaded by their own game-changer, Santiago Carreras.

The Gloucester fly-half was at the heart of their comeback at Murrayfield last week, and such a player would be a valuable piece in Borthwick's plans, someone who can shift a match through sheer will when things are not going to plan.

Will Jordan has been that player for New Zealand, Louis Bielle-Biarrey is becoming that for France, as is Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu for South Africa. There is still hope that Marcus Smith could be that for England.

Piccardo opens the game up with Argentina's first try as visitors mount fightback

Video credit: TNT Sports

England have developed clutch gene

A year ago, it seemed as if England were finding numerous ways to lose matches in the final quarter. Narrow defeats were asterisked with good performances, but they were not enough to get the side over the line, with inaccuracy and poor decisions when it mattered.

Fast-forward a year and it seems that Borthwick has fully implanted the clutch gene in his side, who are forgetting how to lose.

When Argentina found themselves with a line-out metres away from England's try line with no time on the clock, it felt as if things may go the way of the visitors, but England have evolved once again and the winning habit is fully embedded in this side.

Charlie Ewels disrupted the line-out and Ben Earl pounced on the ball and the hosts hung on.

"The expectation is that we grow," Earl said on Sunday after defeating Argentina.

"Winning games breeds confidence. We have confidence within this group now and whoever slots in is ready to go.

"The Six Nations is the next thing; we've got a hard way of doing it. I think we've got the three away games. So we'll start with week one against Wales and go from there. But the expectation is we want to keep winning trophies, so that's the next thing we can win."

Watch and stream every game of the Quilter Nations Series live on TNT Sports and discovery+

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