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Back in November 2024, national team playmaker Ford appeared disappointed during the match.

The replacement was brought on off the sidelines to support England close out a famous win versus the All Blacks, yet was unable to score a late penalty and drop-goal as his side lost in a close contest.

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

He played only 25 minutes during this year's Six Nations but a string of impressive performances, notably in the summer matches versus Argentine and American teams when the Smith players were away on British and Irish Lions duty, put him firmly back among starting candidates.

The veteran player not only repaid Steve Borthwick's faith in starting him against the All Blacks, plus the club standout produced a man-of-the-match display to support England to a first win over New Zealand in their own stadium since 2012.

The decisive instant occurred as Ford nailed back-to-back drop-goals immediately preceding halftime.

This assisted England overcome a 12-0 deficit to reduce the margin to 12-11 when the half ended, before Borthwick's star-studded bench once more performed during the final period to assist the team to a decisive 33-19 victory.

"You have to give credit to the experienced players in our team, notably George," the coach stated. "During that phase when he converted those crucial kicks, he controlled the match just incredibly.

"Twelve months ago In my view George entered and performed really well [against New Zealand].

"A attempt hit the upright and he had a pressured drop-kick, but he played really well.

"He's an exceptional captain, an outstanding athlete and an even better person. We are fortunate to feature him on our team."

Drop-goals 'part of the strategy'

New Zealand commenced strongly during the match, building a substantial early margin through scores from two key players.

After Lawrence's powerful finish, the fly-half's successive drop-kicks meant the hosts bounced into the locker room with psychological advantage.

"The tough part during those periods occurs as the display indicates a twelve-point deficit, we are able to adhere to our strategy and our convictions the optimal approach to play the game is," Ford said.

"We worked our way back into contention and we knew should we begin the latter half effectively, with the bench coming on, we were in a good position.

"Even with a quarter-hour remaining, we ended up on our own line after a penalty, meaning we faced difficulties in that instance too.

"I think that's what international rugby involves - which team can handle in those circumstances the best."

The two attempts occurred within close succession as the fly-half who successfully converted three drop-kicks in a win against Argentina during the 2023 World Cup, displayed his complete century of caps experience.

Ford hit two drop-kicks for Sale during a Premiership match played in challenging weather against Bath - it is a skill he has mastered thoroughly.

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

"The coach is such an incredible coach that he consistently in my ear about it, and correctly so since three points are crucial throughout the match of the game."

Ford guided his side brilliantly throughout the match the complete contest, making smart decisions - both to compete and identifying openings behind the visitors' backfield.

His characteristic tactical bomb further confused Beauden Barrett, who couldn't collect.

After beginning the English victory versus the Wallabies during the autumn series, Ford relinquished the starting role to his replacement during the Fiji match seven days later.

Yet the most significant examination theoretically this season was presented by the experienced New Zealand team, and Ford reclaimed his position.

The national side, now on a run of 10 straight wins, play against Argentina on 23 November creating intrigue to learn if the manager opts with the alternative or persists with Ford.

Whichever decision is made, Ford proved with two years remaining from a World Cup that significant amounts of rugby left in him.