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In November 2024, English number 10 Ford appeared disappointed during the match.

The replacement was brought on from the bench to assist the home side complete a memorable triumph versus the All Blacks, yet failed to convert a crucial penalty and drop-goal as England fell short by two points.

In the wake of those pivotal failures, Ford needed to put in effort to earn another opportunity at delivering glory to the English team.

He saw just 25 minutes of action during this year's Six Nations but a string of excellent displays, notably in the summer tour against Argentina and the USA when the Smith players had departed for Lions tour commitments, put him firmly back as a starting option.

The 32-year-old not only repaid Steve Borthwick's faith through his selection facing the Kiwis, plus the club standout achieved a best-player showing to support the hosts to their initial victory versus the Kiwis on home soil since 2012.

The decisive instant came when Ford converted back-to-back drop-goals just before the break.

This enabled the English recover from 12-0 down to narrow the gap to 12-11 by halftime, before Borthwick's star-studded bench again delivered in the second half to support England to a comfortable 33-19 triumph.

"You have to give credit to the experienced players within our side, especially George," Borthwick told. "That period when he converted those drop-kicks, he managed the game just incredibly.

"Last year I believed Ford substituted and competed really well [versus the All Blacks].

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

"He's an exceptional captain, a superb performer and an even finer individual. We are fortunate to feature him within our roster."

Drop-goals 'part of the strategy'

New Zealand began rapidly in the stadium, building a twelve-point advantage with tries by Leicester Fainga'anuku and Codie Taylor.

Following Ollie Lawrence's strong try, Ford's consecutive three-pointers ensured England returned to the changing rooms with psychological advantage.

"The challenging thing in those moments occurs as the display indicates 12-0, we are able to adhere to our plan and our convictions the optimal approach to play the game is," Ford explained.

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

"Although facing a quarter-hour remaining, we ended up near our try line with a yellow card, meaning we faced difficulties there as well.

"I believe this illustrates elite competition requires - who can deal with those moments most effectively."

Both kicks happened within two minutes of each other as the fly-half who executed three drop-kicks during a victory against Argentina at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, displayed his complete 104-cap experience.

Ford hit two drop-kicks representing Sale in a Prem game played in tough circumstances against Bath - this represents an ability he is well-practised in.

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

"The coach is such an outstanding manager since he continually advising me, and appropriately since three points prove important during any phase of the game."

Ford marshalled his team superbly across the pitch the complete contest, kicking smartly - for both attacking and defensive purposes and in finding space in the opposition's territory.

His trademark 'spiral bomb' further confused the opposing fullback, who couldn't collect.

Following his start in the English victory over Australia during the autumn series, Ford passed on the number 10 jersey to Fin Smith during the Fiji match the following week.

But the biggest test theoretically this season occurred versus the three-time world champions, so Ford returned to his starting role.

England, now on a run of 10 straight wins, 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 demonstrated two years away prior to global competition that ample opportunity of play remaining for him.