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During November 2024, England fly-half Ford looked disheartened on the Allianz Stadium turf.

The replacement was brought on off the sidelines to help the home side complete a famous win facing the Kiwis, yet was unable to score a decisive kick along with a drop-kick as England lost by two points.

Following those costly misses, Ford needed to put in effort to earn another opportunity to bring victory to the English team.

He played only 25 minutes throughout the Six Nations tournament yet multiple impressive performances, notably in the warm-weather tour of Argentina and the United States when the Smith players were absent for Lions tour commitments, returned him solidly in the starting mix.

At 32 years old fully validated the coach's trust in starting him facing the Kiwis, and the Sharks star produced a man-of-the-match display to assist the home team to a first win over New Zealand on home soil ending a drought dating to 2012.

The pivotal moment came when Ford nailed back-to-back drop-goals right before half-time.

This enabled the English overcome a 12-0 deficit to narrow the gap to 12-11 when the half ended, before Borthwick's star-studded bench once more performed after halftime to assist the team to a decisive 33-19 victory.

"You have to give credit to the experienced players on our squad, especially George," the coach stated. "During that phase as he scored those drop-kicks, he managed the game absolutely brilliantly.

"Twelve months ago I believed Ford substituted and competed exceptionally well [facing the Kiwis].

"A attempt hit the upright and he tried a drop-goal under pressure, however his play was outstanding.

"He is a phenomenal leader, a superb performer plus a better human being. We are privileged to feature him within our roster."

Drop-kicks 'consistently planned'

New Zealand commenced strongly during the match, surging to a substantial early margin via touchdowns by Leicester Fainga'anuku and Codie Taylor.

Following Ollie Lawrence's strong try, Ford's back-to-back three-pointers meant the hosts returned to the halftime break with psychological advantage.

"The difficult aspect at those times is, when the scoreboard says 12-0, we are able to adhere to our guns and our philosophy the best way to compete is," Ford said.

"We fought our way back into contention and we understood should we begin the latter half effectively, as reserves joined, we found ourselves in a favorable situation.

"Even with fifteen minutes to go, we found ourselves defending our goal line after a penalty, thus we encountered obstacles in that instance too.

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

Each effort occurred within a two-minute span while the number 10 who successfully converted three crucial kicks in a successful match versus Argentina at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, displayed his complete international experience.

Ford hit two drop-kicks with Sale in a Prem game played in difficult conditions against Bath - it is a skill he has mastered thoroughly.

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

"The coach is such an incredible coach since he continually advising me, and correctly so since three points prove important throughout the match of play."

Ford marshalled England excellently throughout the match the entire match, executing intelligent kicks - both to compete and in finding space behind the visitors' backfield.

His characteristic tactical bomb further confused Beauden Barrett, who mishandled the ball.

Having started England's win versus the Wallabies on 1 November, Ford relinquished the fly-half position to Fin Smith during the Fiji match a week later.

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

England, presently maintaining an unbeaten streak of ten, face Argentina in late November creating intrigue to determine if the manager opts to Fin Smith or persists with Ford.

Whatever choice occurs, Ford demonstrated with two years remaining prior to global competition that significant amounts of play remaining for him.