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During November 2024, England fly-half Ford appeared disappointed during the match.

Ford had been summoned off the sidelines to help the hosts secure a memorable triumph against New Zealand, but instead failed to convert a crucial penalty plus a drop-goal attempt while his team lost by a narrow margin.

Following those costly misses, Ford needed to put in effort to earn another opportunity to achieve success for England.

His playing time was limited to 25 minutes throughout the Six Nations tournament however a series of strong showings, especially during the summer matches versus Argentine and American teams while Fin Smith and Marcus Smith had departed for Lions tour commitments, returned him solidly among starting candidates.

The veteran player fully validated the manager's confidence in starting him against the All Blacks, plus the club standout delivered a player-of-the-match performance to support the home team to a first win versus the Kiwis at home for the first time since 2012.

The decisive instant occurred as Ford successfully executed back-to-back drop-goals right before half-time.

It helped England overcome a 12-0 deficit to narrow the gap to 12-11 by halftime, ahead of the manager's skilled reserves once more performed after halftime to support England to a decisive 33-19 victory.

"Recognition should be offered to the veteran members within our side, especially George," the coach stated. "During that phase as he scored those crucial kicks, he managed the game remarkably well.

"One year earlier I believed Ford substituted and competed exceptionally well [facing the Kiwis].

"One kick struck the post while he attempted a drop-goal under pressure, however his play was outstanding.

"He is a phenomenal leader, an outstanding athlete and an even better person. We are fortunate to include him on our team."

Drop-goals 'part of the strategy'

The All Blacks started quickly at Allianz Stadium, building a 12-point lead through scores from two key players.

After Lawrence's powerful finish, Ford's back-to-back three-pointers resulted in the home side returned to the changing rooms with psychological advantage.

"The tough part at those times is, when the scoreboard says 12-0, we can stick to our strategy and what we believe the optimal approach to play the game is," Ford explained.

"We got ourselves back into it and we understood if we started the final period strongly, with the bench coming on, we were in an advantageous spot.

"Despite having a quarter-hour remaining, we ended up defending our goal line with a yellow card, so we had challenges in that instance too.

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

The two attempts happened within a two-minute span as Ford who nailed three drop-goals during a victory versus Argentina in the last global tournament, showed all his century of caps experience.

Ford hit two drop-goals for Sale in a Prem game played in tough circumstances against Bath - this represents an ability he has extensively practiced.

"The drop-kicks are consistently planned," Ford added.

"The coach is such a phenomenal leader that he is always reminding me, and appropriately because three points prove important at any stage of play."

Ford directed his side brilliantly throughout the match the complete contest, kicking smartly - for both attacking and defensive purposes and identifying openings behind the visitors' backfield.

His characteristic tactical bomb also bamboozled the New Zealand player, who mishandled the ball.

Having started the national team's triumph against Australia during the autumn series, Ford passed on the number 10 jersey to his replacement for the Fiji victory a week later.

However the greatest challenge in terms of difficulty was presented by the multiple World Cup winners, with Ford regaining his starting role.

The English team, currently enjoying 10 straight wins, meet Argentina in late November and curiosity remains to learn if Borthwick goes back with the alternative or maintains Ford.

Regardless of the selection, Ford proved ahead of the next tournament from a World Cup that ample opportunity of career ahead in him.