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Back in November 2024, England fly-half George Ford appeared disappointed during the match.

He was called upon off the sidelines to support England complete a memorable triumph against New Zealand, however failed to convert a crucial penalty along with a drop-kick as his side were beaten in a close contest.

In the wake of those pivotal failures, Ford needed to put in effort to get another shot at delivering glory for England.

He played only 25 minutes in the recent Six Nations however a series of impressive performances, notably in the summer tour versus Argentine and American teams when the Smith players had departed for British and Irish Lions duty, returned him solidly as a starting option.

The 32-year-old not only repaid the manager's confidence through his selection facing the Kiwis, plus the club standout delivered a player-of-the-match performance to support England to a breakthrough triumph against the All Blacks on home soil for the first time since 2012.

The crucial point came when Ford successfully executed two drop-goals in succession right before half-time.

It helped England overcome a 12-0 deficit to trail 12-11 at the break, ahead of the manager's skilled reserves again delivered during the final period to support England to a convincing 33-19 win.

"You have to give credit to the senior players within our side, particularly Ford," the coach stated. "During that phase when he converted those crucial kicks, he directed play remarkably well.

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

"One kick struck the post and he tried a difficult drop-goal, yet he performed excellently.

"He is a phenomenal leader, an outstanding athlete plus a better human being. We are fortunate to feature him on our team."

Drop-kicks 'consistently planned'

The All Blacks began rapidly in the stadium, surging to a substantial early margin with tries by two key players.

After Lawrence's impressive score, Ford's back-to-back drop-goals ensured England bounced into the locker room with the momentum.

"The tough part in those moments comes when the board shows 12-0, we are able to adhere to our strategy and our philosophy the superior method to play the game is," Ford explained.

"We worked our way back into it and we understood if we started the latter half effectively, as reserves joined, we found ourselves in an advantageous spot.

"Even with fifteen minutes to go, we were positioned near our try line following a card, meaning we faced difficulties there as well.

"In my opinion that represents Test rugby is - which team can handle in those circumstances superiorly."

The two attempts came within close succession as the fly-half who executed three crucial kicks in a successful match against Argentina at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, showed all his 104-cap experience.

Ford hit two drop-goals representing Sale in a league contest played in difficult conditions against Bath - this demonstrates a talent he has extensively practiced.

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

"The coach is such an outstanding manager that he is always reminding me, and correctly so as three points are crucial throughout the match of competition."

Ford marshalled England excellently across the pitch the entire match, kicking smartly - for both attacking and defensive purposes and identifying openings in the opposition's territory.

His characteristic tactical bomb additionally troubled the opposing fullback, who failed to regather.

After beginning the English victory versus the Wallabies in early November, Ford passed on the starting role to the younger Smith during the Fiji match seven days later.

Yet the most significant examination on paper this autumn was presented by the multiple World Cup winners, so Ford returned to his spot.

England, currently enjoying an unbeaten streak of ten, play against Argentina this month and curiosity remains to determine if Borthwick goes back with the alternative or persists with Ford.

Whatever choice occurs, Ford proved two years away prior to global competition that significant amounts of rugby left for him.