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Back in November 2024, English number 10 Ford looked disheartened at Allianz Stadium.

Ford had been summoned off the sidelines to help England close out an historic victory versus the All Blacks, however failed to convert a decisive kick plus a drop-goal attempt as England lost by two points.

In the wake of those pivotal failures, Ford had to work hard to secure another chance to achieve success for England.

His playing time was limited to 25 minutes in the recent Six Nations however a series of impressive performances, especially during the warm-weather tour against Argentina and the USA while Fin Smith and Marcus Smith were away on British and Irish Lions duty, reestablished him strongly among starting candidates.

The veteran player did more than justify Steve Borthwick's faith in starting him against the All Blacks, but the Sale Sharks playmaker produced a man-of-the-match display to assist the hosts to a first win versus the Kiwis at home ending a drought dating to 2012.

The pivotal moment in the game Ford nailed consecutive drop-kicks immediately preceding halftime.

This assisted England recover from 12-0 down to narrow the gap to 12-11 by halftime, before Borthwick's star-studded bench again delivered after halftime to help his side to a decisive 33-19 win.

"Recognition should be offered to the experienced players in our team, especially George," the manager commented. "That period as he scored those drop-kicks, he managed the game just incredibly.

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

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

"He's a tremendous guide, an outstanding athlete and an even better person. We are honored to include him within our roster."

Drop-kicks 'consistently planned'

The Kiwis started quickly during the match, surging to a substantial early margin with tries by Fainga'anuku and Taylor.

After Lawrence's impressive score, the fly-half's successive drop-goals resulted in the home side returned to the changing rooms with renewed energy.

"The challenging thing during those periods occurs as the display indicates 12-0, we are able to adhere to our plan and our philosophy the optimal approach to play the game is," Ford stated.

"We got ourselves back into contention and we understood if we started the latter half effectively, with the bench coming on, we would be in a favorable situation.

"Although facing fifteen minutes to go, we ended up defending our goal line after a penalty, meaning we faced difficulties in that instance too.

"I think that's what elite competition requires - who manages best in those circumstances the best."

Both kicks happened within close succession as the fly-half who executed three crucial kicks in a successful match facing the Argentine team during the 2023 World Cup, displayed his complete century of caps experience.

Ford hit two three-pointers representing Sale during a Premiership match conducted in difficult conditions versus Bath - it is a skill he has mastered thoroughly.

"The drop-kicks is always in the plan," Ford stated further.

"Steve is such an incredible coach that he is always in my ear about it, and rightly so because three points prove important at any stage of competition."

Ford guided his side brilliantly around the field the entire match, making smart decisions - both to compete and identifying openings in the opposition's territory.

His trademark 'spiral bomb' also bamboozled the opposing fullback, who mishandled the ball.

Having started England's win over Australia on 1 November, 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 experienced New Zealand team, so Ford returned to his spot.

England, currently enjoying 10 straight wins, face Argentina in late November creating intrigue to determine whether the coach returns to Fin Smith or continues with Ford.

Whichever decision is made, Ford demonstrated with two years remaining from a World Cup that there is plenty of rugby left for him.