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

Ford had been summoned off the sidelines to assist the hosts close out a famous win facing the Kiwis, but instead missed a crucial penalty along with a drop-kick as England fell short in a close contest.

Following those costly misses, Ford needed to put in effort to get another shot to bring victory to the English team.

He played only 25 minutes throughout the Six Nations tournament but a string of strong showings, notably in the summer tour against Argentina and the USA while Fin Smith and Marcus Smith had departed for Lions tour commitments, returned him solidly in the starting mix.

The veteran player not only repaid Steve Borthwick's faith through his selection against the All Blacks, but the Sale Sharks playmaker produced a man-of-the-match display to support England to a first win versus the Kiwis in their own stadium since 2012.

The pivotal moment came when Ford nailed consecutive drop-kicks immediately preceding halftime.

It helped England bounce back from being down 12-0 to reduce the margin to 12-11 by halftime, before Borthwick's star-studded bench repeatedly excelled after halftime to assist the team to a comfortable 33-19 triumph.

"You have to give credit to the veteran members within our side, particularly Ford," the manager commented. "In that moment as he scored those drop-goals, he managed the game just incredibly.

"Twelve months ago In my view George entered and performed very effectively [against New Zealand].

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

"He's a tremendous guide, a superb performer and an even better person. We are honored to have him within our roster."

Drop-goals 'always in the plan'

New Zealand started quickly in the stadium, building a twelve-point advantage through scores from two key players.

After Lawrence's impressive score, Ford's back-to-back drop-kicks ensured England returned to the changing rooms with psychological advantage.

"The challenging thing during those periods comes when the board shows twelve to zero, we can stick to our plan and our convictions the optimal approach to play the game is," Ford stated.

"We worked our way back into it and we knew were we to commence the latter half effectively, with substitutes entering, we would be in a favorable situation.

"Despite having fifteen minutes to go, we ended up near our try line after a penalty, so we had challenges during that phase also.

"I believe this illustrates Test rugby is - who can deal with those moments the best."

Both kicks occurred within two minutes of each other as the fly-half who successfully converted three drop-goals in a win against Argentina during the 2023 World Cup, displayed his complete century of caps experience.

Ford successfully executed two drop-goals with Sale in a Prem game occurring during challenging weather at Bath - this represents an ability he has extensively practiced.

"It [the drop-goals] form part of our strategy," Ford added.

"Borthwick represents an outstanding manager since he continually advising me, and rightly so since three points are crucial during any phase of competition."

Ford directed his side brilliantly throughout the match all game, making smart decisions - both in contestable situations and identifying openings against the defensive line.

His characteristic 'spiral bomb' further confused the opposing fullback, who couldn't collect.

After beginning England's win against Australia during the autumn series, Ford relinquished the starting role to his replacement during the Fiji match the following week.

Yet the most significant examination on paper this autumn came against the experienced New Zealand team, and Ford reclaimed his position.

The national side, currently enjoying 10 straight wins, face Argentina in late November creating intrigue to discover if Borthwick goes back with the alternative or persists with Ford.

Regardless of the selection, Ford established two years away before the World Cup that ample opportunity of play remaining for him.