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

Ford had been summoned off the sidelines to help the hosts close out a famous win facing the Kiwis, but instead missed a crucial penalty plus a drop-goal attempt as his side fell short in a close contest.

After those expensive errors, the player was required to strive to earn another opportunity at delivering glory for England.

He saw just 25 minutes of action throughout the Six Nations tournament but a string of excellent displays, particularly on the warm-weather tour of Argentina and the United States as Fin Smith and Marcus Smith had departed for Lions team responsibilities, reestablished him strongly among starting candidates.

The 32-year-old did more than justify Steve Borthwick's faith in starting him versus New Zealand, plus the club standout achieved a best-player showing to support the home team to their initial victory against the All Blacks in their own stadium since 2012.

The crucial point came when Ford nailed two drop-goals in succession just before the break.

This enabled the English recover from 12-0 down to narrow the gap to 12-11 when the half ended, ahead of the manager's skilled reserves once more performed in the second half to support England to a decisive 33-19 victory.

"Recognition should be offered to the senior players on our squad, particularly Ford," the coach stated. "During that phase where he hit those crucial kicks, he managed the game remarkably well.

"One year earlier In my view George came on and played exceptionally well [against New Zealand].

"One kick struck the post and he tried a drop-goal under pressure, however his play was outstanding.

"He's an exceptional captain, a superb performer plus a better human being. We are honored to feature him in our squad."

Drop-goals 'part of the strategy'

The Kiwis started quickly at Allianz Stadium, surging to a 12-point lead with tries by two key players.

After Lawrence's powerful finish, the fly-half's successive drop-goals 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 strategy and what we believe the best way to perform is," Ford said.

"We worked our way back into it and we understood if we started the second half well, with substitutes entering, we found ourselves in a good position.

"Despite having a quarter-hour remaining, we found ourselves near our try line after a penalty, meaning we faced difficulties during that phase also.

"I think that's what Test rugby is - who manages best in those circumstances superiorly."

The two attempts happened within two minutes of each other while the number 10 who nailed three drop-kicks during a victory facing the Argentine team at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, displayed his complete 104-cap experience.

Ford hit two three-pointers for Sale during a Premiership match occurring during tough circumstances versus Bath - this represents an ability he has extensively practiced.

"It [the drop-goals] is always in the plan," Ford continued.

"Borthwick represents a phenomenal leader that he is always advising me, and rightly so as three points is valuable throughout the match of competition."

Ford guided England excellently throughout the match the entire match, kicking smartly - both in contestable situations and identifying openings in the opposition's territory.

His trademark high spiral kick additionally troubled the opposing fullback, who couldn't collect.

Having started the national team's triumph versus the Wallabies on 1 November, Ford handed over the fly-half position to the younger Smith during the Fiji match the following week.

However the greatest challenge in terms of difficulty was presented by the multiple World Cup winners, with Ford regaining his starting role.

The national side, currently enjoying an unbeaten streak of ten, face Argentina this month creating intrigue to discover if Borthwick goes back to Fin Smith or maintains Ford.

Whichever decision is made, Ford proved with two years remaining prior to global competition that ample opportunity of rugby left within him.