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

He was called upon from the bench to help the home side complete a famous win facing the Kiwis, however was unable to score a decisive kick plus a drop-goal attempt as England lost in a close contest.

After those expensive errors, Ford needed to put in effort to get another shot to bring victory for England.

He saw just 25 minutes of action during this year's Six Nations however a series of impressive performances, especially during the summer tour of Argentina and the United States when the Smith players were away on British and Irish Lions duty, put him firmly back as a starting option.

The veteran player not only repaid the manager's confidence by selecting him facing the Kiwis, but the Sale Sharks playmaker achieved a best-player showing to assist England to their initial victory versus the Kiwis in their own stadium for the first time since 2012.

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

It helped England bounce back from being down 12-0 to trail 12-11 by halftime, before Borthwick's star-studded bench repeatedly excelled in the second half to help his side to a convincing 33-19 victory.

"Credit must be given to the veteran members on our squad, particularly Ford," the coach stated. "That period when he converted those crucial kicks, he managed the game remarkably well.

"One year earlier I thought George came on and played really well [facing the Kiwis].

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

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

Drop-kicks 'consistently planned'

New Zealand commenced strongly during the match, surging to a twelve-point advantage through scores from Fainga'anuku and Taylor.

Following Ollie Lawrence's impressive score, Ford's back-to-back three-pointers resulted in the home side bounced into the locker room with renewed energy.

"The challenging thing at those times comes when the board shows 12-0, we must maintain to our strategy and what we believe the optimal approach to compete is," Ford stated.

"We fought our way back into contention and we recognized should we begin the second half well, with the bench coming on, we were in a favorable situation.

"Although facing fifteen minutes to go, we were positioned on our own line following a card, thus we encountered obstacles during that phase also.

"I believe this illustrates international rugby involves - who manages best with those moments most effectively."

The two attempts occurred within a two-minute span while the number 10 who executed three crucial kicks during a victory versus Argentina at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, demonstrated his full 104-cap experience.

Ford converted two drop-kicks representing Sale in a league contest played in challenging weather against Bath - this represents an ability he has extensively practiced.

"These attempts is always in the plan," Ford added.

"The coach is such an outstanding manager that he consistently in my ear about it, and rightly so since three points is valuable at any stage of the game."

Ford directed his team superbly throughout the match the entire match, executing intelligent kicks - both in contestable situations and locating gaps in the opposition's territory.

His trademark tactical bomb also bamboozled Beauden Barrett, who couldn't collect.

After beginning England's win over Australia in early November, Ford relinquished the fly-half position to the younger Smith against Fiji seven days later.

But the biggest test theoretically this season came against the experienced New Zealand team, with Ford regaining his spot.

The English team, now on a run of ten consecutive victories, play against Argentina in late November and it will be interesting to learn if Borthwick goes back with the alternative or continues with Ford.

Whatever choice occurs, Ford established ahead of the next tournament from a World Cup that ample opportunity of career ahead within him.