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In November 2024, England fly-half George Ford cut a dejected figure at Allianz Stadium.

He was called upon from the bench to help the hosts complete a memorable triumph facing the Kiwis, however failed to convert a decisive kick plus a drop-goal attempt as his side fell short in a close contest.

In the wake of those pivotal failures, Ford needed to put in effort to earn another opportunity at delivering glory for the national side.

He played only 25 minutes in the recent Six Nations yet multiple excellent displays, particularly on the summer matches of Argentina and the United States when the Smith players were absent for Lions tour commitments, put him firmly back in the starting mix.

The veteran player fully validated Steve Borthwick's faith by selecting him facing the Kiwis, but the Sale Sharks playmaker produced a man-of-the-match display to support the home team to a first win over New Zealand in their own stadium for the first time since 2012.

The pivotal moment occurred as Ford converted back-to-back drop-goals right before half-time.

This assisted England recover from 12-0 down to reduce the margin to 12-11 when the half ended, before Borthwick's star-studded bench repeatedly excelled in the second half to help his side to a convincing 33-19 victory.

"Credit must be given to the experienced players within our side, particularly Ford," the coach stated. "That period as he scored those drop-goals, he managed the game remarkably well.

"One year earlier I believed Ford entered and performed very effectively [against New Zealand].

"A attempt hit the upright and he had a pressured drop-kick, however his play was outstanding.

"He's a tremendous guide, an outstanding athlete and an even better person. We are fortunate to include him in our squad."

Drop-goals 'always in the plan'

The All Blacks commenced strongly in the stadium, building a twelve-point advantage with tries by two key players.

Subsequent to Ollie Lawrence's powerful finish, Ford's consecutive drop-kicks resulted in the home side bounced into the halftime break with psychological advantage.

"The tough part in those moments comes when the board shows a twelve-point deficit, we must maintain to our plan and what we believe the superior method to compete is," Ford explained.

"We worked our way back into contention and we recognized if we started the second half well, as reserves joined, we would be in an advantageous spot.

"Despite having a quarter-hour remaining, we ended up near our try line with a yellow card, so we had challenges there as well.

"I believe this illustrates Test rugby is - who can deal during those situations superiorly."

The two attempts occurred within two minutes of each other as the fly-half who executed three drop-goals during a victory versus Argentina in the last global tournament, demonstrated his full century of caps experience.

Ford successfully executed two drop-goals representing Sale in a Prem game played in challenging weather at Bath - this represents an ability he is well-practised in.

"The drop-kicks is always in the plan," Ford added.

"The coach is such a phenomenal leader that he consistently in my ear about it, and correctly so since three points are crucial during any phase of play."

Ford directed his side brilliantly throughout the match the entire match, making smart decisions - for both attacking and defensive purposes and identifying openings behind the visitors' backfield.

His characteristic tactical bomb also bamboozled Beauden Barrett, who failed to regather.

Having started England's win over Australia on 1 November, Ford relinquished the starting role to Fin Smith for the Fiji victory a week later.

Yet the most significant examination theoretically this season was presented by the multiple World Cup winners, so Ford returned to his position.

England, now on a run of ten consecutive victories, 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 with two years remaining from a World Cup that significant amounts of play remaining for him.