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

The replacement was brought on off the sidelines to help the hosts close out a famous win against New Zealand, but instead missed a crucial penalty and drop-goal as England fell short in a close contest.

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

His playing time was limited to 25 minutes in the recent Six Nations however a series of strong showings, especially during the summer matches versus Argentine and American teams as Fin Smith and Marcus Smith were away on Lions tour commitments, put him firmly back among starting candidates.

The 32-year-old did more than justify the coach's trust by selecting him facing the Kiwis, but the Sale Sharks playmaker delivered a player-of-the-match performance to assist the hosts to a first win against the All Blacks in their own stadium since 2012.

The pivotal moment came when Ford nailed consecutive drop-kicks right before half-time.

This assisted England bounce back from being down 12-0 to narrow the gap to 12-11 when the half ended, before Borthwick's star-studded bench again delivered during the final period to assist the team to a comfortable 33-19 win.

"Recognition should be offered to the veteran members in our team, particularly Ford," Borthwick told. "That period where he hit those drop-kicks, he managed the game absolutely brilliantly.

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

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

"He's a tremendous guide, a superb performer plus a better human being. We are fortunate to have him in our squad."

Drop-goals 'always in the plan'

The All Blacks began rapidly at Allianz Stadium, racing into a substantial early margin through scores from Leicester Fainga'anuku and Codie Taylor.

After Lawrence's impressive score, the fly-half's successive three-pointers ensured England entered the changing rooms with the momentum.

"The challenging thing during those periods occurs as the display indicates 12-0, we can stick to our guns and our convictions the superior method to play the game is," Ford explained.

"We worked our way back into contention and we understood were we to commence the second half well, as reserves joined, we were in a favorable situation.

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

"I think that's what elite competition requires - which team can handle in those circumstances most effectively."

Each effort came within close succession as Ford who successfully converted three drop-kicks during a victory against Argentina during the 2023 World Cup, demonstrated his full 104-cap experience.

Ford successfully executed two three-pointers for Sale during a Premiership match played in challenging weather at Bath - it is a skill he has extensively practiced.

"The drop-kicks form part of our strategy," Ford added.

"Steve is such an outstanding manager that he is always advising me, and rightly so because three points is valuable at any stage of the game."

Ford marshalled his side brilliantly across the pitch the entire match, kicking smartly - both to compete and locating gaps behind the visitors' backfield.

His signature 'spiral bomb' further confused the opposing fullback, who mishandled the ball.

Following his start in the English victory over Australia in early November, Ford handed over the number 10 jersey to his replacement during the Fiji match the following week.

Yet the most significant examination in terms of difficulty occurred versus the multiple World Cup winners, so Ford returned to his spot.

The national side, presently maintaining ten consecutive victories, face Argentina on 23 November creating intrigue to learn if the manager opts to Fin Smith or continues with Ford.

Regardless of the selection, Ford established two years away prior to global competition that there is plenty of career ahead for him.