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Back in November 2024, national team playmaker George Ford cut a dejected figure on the Allianz Stadium turf.

The replacement was brought on as a substitute to help England complete an historic victory versus the All Blacks, yet missed a late penalty and drop-goal as his side lost in a close contest.

Following those costly misses, Ford had to work hard to get another shot at delivering glory to the English team.

His playing time was limited to 25 minutes throughout the Six Nations tournament but a string of impressive performances, particularly on the warm-weather tour against Argentina and the USA when the Smith players were away on British and Irish Lions duty, reestablished him strongly among starting candidates.

The 32-year-old fully validated Steve Borthwick's faith by selecting him against the All Blacks, plus the club standout delivered a player-of-the-match performance to assist the home team to a breakthrough triumph over New Zealand on home soil for the first time since 2012.

The pivotal moment occurred as Ford converted consecutive drop-kicks just before the break.

This enabled the English bounce back from being down 12-0 to trail 12-11 when the half ended, ahead of the manager's skilled reserves once more performed after halftime to support England to a comfortable 33-19 triumph.

"Recognition should be offered to the senior players on our squad, especially George," the coach stated. "That period as he scored those drop-kicks, he managed the game just incredibly.

"Twelve months ago In my view George substituted and competed really well [facing the Kiwis].

"A kick hit the post and he had a difficult drop-goal, however his play was outstanding.

"He's an exceptional captain, a superb performer and an even better person. We are privileged to include him on our team."

Drop-goals 'always in the plan'

The All Blacks started quickly in the stadium, racing into a twelve-point advantage through scores from Fainga'anuku and Taylor.

Subsequent to Ollie Lawrence's impressive score, Ford's consecutive three-pointers ensured England entered the halftime break with renewed energy.

"The tough part during those periods is, when the scoreboard says twelve to zero, we can stick to our guns and our philosophy the superior method to play the game is," Ford stated.

"We fought our way back into the game and we recognized were we to commence the final period strongly, as reserves joined, we found ourselves in a favorable situation.

"Even with fifteen minutes to go, we found ourselves near our try line after a penalty, meaning we faced difficulties in that instance too.

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

Both kicks occurred within two minutes of each other as Ford who nailed three drop-kicks in a successful match facing the Argentine team at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, showed all his century of caps experience.

Ford converted two drop-kicks with Sale in a league contest conducted in challenging weather versus Bath - it is a skill he is well-practised in.

"These attempts form part of our strategy," Ford added.

"Borthwick represents an outstanding manager that he is always in my ear about it, and correctly so as three points prove important at any stage of the game."

Ford marshalled his side brilliantly around the field the complete contest, making smart decisions - for both attacking and defensive purposes and locating gaps against the defensive line.

His characteristic high spiral kick further confused the New Zealand player, who failed to regather.

Having started England's win versus the Wallabies during the autumn series, Ford handed over the fly-half position to his replacement against Fiji the following week.

Yet the most significant examination theoretically this season came against the three-time world champions, and Ford reclaimed his starting role.

England, presently maintaining 10 straight wins, play against Argentina on 23 November and it will be interesting to discover if the manager opts for the younger Smith or continues with Ford.

Whichever decision is made, Ford proved ahead of the next tournament before the World Cup that significant amounts of career ahead within him.