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Back in November 2024, England fly-half George Ford appeared disappointed on the Allianz Stadium turf.

Ford had been summoned from the bench to assist the home side complete a memorable triumph facing the Kiwis, yet failed to convert a decisive kick plus a drop-goal attempt as his side fell short by a narrow margin.

After those expensive errors, Ford had to work hard to secure another chance at delivering glory for England.

He saw just 25 minutes of action in the recent Six Nations but a string of impressive performances, especially during the warm-weather tour against Argentina and the USA when the Smith players were absent for British and Irish Lions duty, put him firmly back as a starting option.

At 32 years old not only repaid the coach's trust through his selection versus New Zealand, but the Sale Sharks playmaker produced a man-of-the-match display to assist England to their initial victory against the All Blacks on home soil since 2012.

The crucial point came when Ford converted consecutive drop-kicks immediately preceding halftime.

It helped England recover from 12-0 down to narrow the gap to 12-11 by halftime, ahead of the manager's skilled reserves repeatedly excelled in the second half to help his side to a convincing 33-19 win.

"Recognition should be offered to the experienced players on our squad, particularly Ford," the manager commented. "During that phase when he converted those drop-goals, he controlled the match just incredibly.

"Last year I thought George came on and played really well [against New Zealand].

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

"He's an exceptional captain, an outstanding athlete plus a better human being. We are privileged to have him within our roster."

Drop-kicks 'consistently planned'

New Zealand began rapidly in the stadium, surging to a 12-point lead through scores from Leicester Fainga'anuku and Codie Taylor.

Subsequent to Ollie Lawrence's powerful finish, Ford's consecutive drop-goals ensured England entered the locker room with renewed energy.

"The difficult aspect at those times is, when the scoreboard says 12-0, we are able to adhere to our guns and our convictions the optimal approach to play the game is," Ford stated.

"We got ourselves back into contention and we recognized if we started the second half well, as reserves joined, we were in a good position.

"Despite having fifteen minutes to go, we ended up near our try line following a card, so we had challenges in that instance too.

"In my opinion that represents elite competition requires - who can deal during those situations superiorly."

Both kicks happened within a two-minute span as Ford who nailed three drop-kicks in a successful match facing the Argentine team during the 2023 World Cup, showed all his 104-cap experience.

Ford hit two drop-goals representing Sale during a Premiership match played in challenging weather versus Bath - it is a skill he is well-practised in.

"These attempts are consistently planned," Ford added.

"The coach is such an incredible coach that he is always in my ear about it, and correctly so since three points are crucial throughout the match of the game."

Ford marshalled his side brilliantly around the field the entire match, making smart decisions - for both attacking and defensive purposes and in finding space in the opposition's territory.

His trademark tactical bomb also bamboozled the opposing fullback, who couldn't collect.

After beginning the national team's triumph versus the Wallabies on 1 November, Ford passed on the number 10 jersey to his replacement for the Fiji victory the following week.

However the greatest challenge theoretically this season occurred versus the experienced New Zealand team, with Ford regaining his position.

The English team, currently enjoying ten consecutive victories, play against Argentina this month creating intrigue to discover if Borthwick goes back for the younger Smith or persists with Ford.

Regardless of the selection, Ford established two years away from a World Cup that ample opportunity of play remaining within him.