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During November 2024, England fly-half Ford cut a dejected figure on the Allianz Stadium turf.

The replacement was brought on from the bench to support the home side close out an historic victory versus the All Blacks, however failed to convert a late penalty plus a drop-goal attempt as his side were beaten in a close contest.

In the wake of those pivotal failures, the player was required to strive to get another shot at delivering glory for England.

He played only 25 minutes in the recent Six Nations however a series of excellent displays, especially during the summer matches versus Argentine and American teams while Fin Smith and Marcus Smith were absent for Lions tour commitments, reestablished him strongly in the starting mix.

The 32-year-old not only repaid the manager's confidence in starting him versus New Zealand, but the Sale Sharks playmaker produced a man-of-the-match display to assist the hosts to a breakthrough triumph versus the Kiwis in their own stadium ending a drought dating to 2012.

The pivotal moment in the game Ford converted two drop-goals in succession just before the break.

This assisted England bounce back from being down 12-0 to narrow the gap to 12-11 by halftime, ahead of the manager's skilled reserves once more performed after halftime to help his side to a convincing 33-19 win.

"Credit must be given to the senior players on our squad, especially George," Borthwick told. "During that phase when he converted those drop-goals, he controlled the match remarkably well.

"One year earlier I believed Ford entered and performed very effectively [facing the Kiwis].

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

"He is a phenomenal leader, an outstanding athlete and an even finer individual. We are fortunate to feature him within our roster."

Drop-goals 'always in the plan'

The Kiwis began rapidly in the stadium, building a 12-point lead with tries by Fainga'anuku and Taylor.

Subsequent to Ollie Lawrence's powerful finish, Ford's back-to-back drop-kicks meant the hosts bounced into the locker room with renewed energy.

"The challenging thing during those periods comes when the board shows a twelve-point deficit, we must maintain to our guns and what we believe the superior method to play the game is," Ford said.

"We worked our way back into it and we knew were we to commence the second half well, with the bench coming on, we would be in an advantageous spot.

"Even with a quarter-hour remaining, we were positioned near our try line after a penalty, thus we encountered obstacles during that phase also.

"I believe this illustrates Test rugby is - who manages best during those situations the best."

The two attempts happened within close succession while the number 10 who successfully converted three drop-kicks in a win facing the Argentine team at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, demonstrated his full international experience.

Ford converted two three-pointers with Sale in a league contest conducted in tough circumstances at Bath - this demonstrates a talent he has extensively practiced.

"These attempts are consistently planned," Ford stated further.

"Steve is such an incredible coach that he consistently reminding me, and correctly so because three points are crucial during any phase of competition."

Ford guided his team superbly around the field all game, making smart decisions - both to compete and locating gaps behind the visitors' backfield.

His trademark 'spiral bomb' additionally troubled Beauden Barrett, who failed to regather.

After beginning England's win versus the Wallabies during the autumn series, Ford relinquished the number 10 jersey to the younger Smith against Fiji seven days later.

Yet the most significant examination in terms of difficulty came against the three-time world champions, so Ford returned to his position.

The English team, presently maintaining 10 straight wins, face Argentina this month and curiosity remains to discover whether the coach returns to Fin Smith or persists with Ford.

Regardless of the selection, Ford demonstrated with two years remaining prior to global competition that there is plenty of play remaining for him.