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In November 2024, England fly-half George Ford appeared disappointed at Allianz Stadium.

Ford had been summoned from the bench to help the home side secure an historic victory against New Zealand, yet was unable to score a late penalty along with a drop-kick as his side were beaten in a close contest.

After those expensive errors, Ford needed to put in effort to get another shot to achieve success for the national side.

He played only 25 minutes in the recent Six Nations however a series of excellent displays, notably in the summer matches versus Argentine and American teams while Fin Smith and Marcus Smith were away on Lions tour commitments, returned him solidly as a starting option.

At 32 years old fully validated the coach's trust in starting him against the All Blacks, but the Sale Sharks playmaker achieved a best-player showing to assist England to a first win against the All Blacks at home for the first time since 2012.

The crucial point came when Ford nailed consecutive drop-kicks right before half-time.

It helped England bounce back from being down 12-0 to trail 12-11 when the half ended, prior to the coach's talented substitutes once more performed during the final period to assist the team to a decisive 33-19 triumph.

"Recognition should be offered to the experienced players on our squad, notably George," Borthwick told. "In that moment as he scored those crucial kicks, he controlled the match just incredibly.

"Twelve months ago I believed Ford came on and played really well [versus the All Blacks].

"A kick hit the post and he tried a difficult drop-goal, but he played really well.

"He's an exceptional captain, a brilliant player and an even finer individual. We are honored to include him on our team."

Drop-kicks 'consistently planned'

The Kiwis began rapidly during the match, surging to a 12-point lead with tries by Fainga'anuku and Taylor.

Subsequent to Ollie Lawrence's strong try, Ford's back-to-back drop-kicks resulted in the home side bounced into the locker room with psychological advantage.

"The challenging thing during those periods comes when the board shows 12-0, we must maintain to our plan and what we believe the superior method to compete is," Ford explained.

"We got ourselves back into contention and we knew should we begin the latter half effectively, with substitutes entering, we found ourselves in a good position.

"Even with 15 minutes left, we found ourselves defending our goal line following a card, meaning we faced difficulties during that phase also.

"I believe this illustrates Test rugby is - who manages best during those situations most effectively."

The two attempts came within a two-minute span as Ford who executed three drop-kicks during a victory facing the Argentine team in the last global tournament, displayed his complete century of caps experience.

Ford successfully executed two three-pointers with Sale in a league contest played in challenging weather versus Bath - this represents an ability he has extensively practiced.

"These attempts form part of our strategy," Ford added.

"The coach is such a phenomenal leader that he consistently reminding me, and appropriately because three points are crucial at any stage of competition."

Ford marshalled England excellently across the pitch all game, making smart decisions - both to compete and identifying openings behind the visitors' backfield.

His trademark 'spiral bomb' further confused the New Zealand player, who mishandled the ball.

After beginning the national team's triumph against Australia in early November, Ford handed over the fly-half position to the younger Smith during the Fiji match the following week.

Yet the most significant examination in terms of difficulty was presented by the experienced New Zealand team, with Ford regaining his spot.

The English team, presently maintaining 10 straight wins, meet Argentina this month and it will be interesting to learn if the manager opts for the younger Smith or continues with Ford.

Whichever decision is made, Ford proved two years away prior to global competition that ample opportunity of rugby left in him.