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During November 2024, national team playmaker George Ford cut a dejected figure at Allianz Stadium.

He was called upon off the sidelines to help England secure a famous win versus the All Blacks, yet missed a late penalty plus a drop-goal attempt as England lost by two points.

Following those costly misses, Ford had to work hard to get another shot to bring victory for the national side.

He saw just 25 minutes of action during this year's Six Nations however a series of strong showings, notably in the warm-weather tour against Argentina and the USA while Fin Smith and Marcus Smith were absent for Lions tour commitments, reestablished him strongly in the starting mix.

The veteran player fully validated the manager's confidence through his selection against the All Blacks, and the Sharks star delivered a player-of-the-match performance to help the home team to a first win over New Zealand in their own stadium since 2012.

The pivotal moment in the game Ford nailed back-to-back drop-goals immediately preceding halftime.

This enabled the English bounce back from being down 12-0 to reduce the margin to 12-11 by halftime, ahead of the manager's skilled reserves once more performed after halftime to assist the team to a decisive 33-19 triumph.

"Credit must be given to the experienced players in our team, particularly Ford," the manager commented. "In that moment as he scored those drop-kicks, he directed play just incredibly.

"Last year I believed Ford entered and performed really well [against New Zealand].

"One kick struck the post and he had a pressured drop-kick, however his play was outstanding.

"He is a phenomenal leader, an outstanding athlete plus a better human being. We are fortunate to include him in our squad."

Drop-goals 'always in the plan'

The Kiwis started quickly during the match, building a twelve-point advantage with tries by Fainga'anuku and Taylor.

Subsequent to Ollie Lawrence's powerful finish, Ford's back-to-back drop-kicks meant the hosts entered the changing rooms with renewed energy.

"The tough part during those periods is, when the scoreboard says 12-0, we are able to adhere to our plan and what we believe the best way to play the game is," Ford stated.

"We got ourselves back into the game and we understood were we to commence the second half well, as reserves joined, we found ourselves in a good position.

"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 international rugby involves - who can deal in those circumstances the best."

Both kicks happened within close succession while the number 10 who executed three drop-goals in a successful match against Argentina at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, showed all his century of caps experience.

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

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

"The coach is such an outstanding manager that he consistently advising me, and correctly so because three points is valuable throughout the match of play."

Ford guided England excellently throughout the match the complete contest, making smart decisions - for both attacking and defensive purposes and locating gaps in the opposition's territory.

His signature tactical bomb additionally troubled the opposing fullback, who failed to regather.

Following his start in England's win over Australia during the autumn series, Ford passed on the fly-half position to Fin Smith during the Fiji match the following week.

But the biggest test theoretically this season came against the three-time world champions, and Ford reclaimed his position.

The national side, presently maintaining an unbeaten streak of ten, face Argentina on 23 November creating intrigue to determine whether the coach returns to Fin Smith or maintains Ford.

Regardless of the selection, Ford established with two years remaining prior to global competition that significant amounts of rugby left within him.