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During November 2024, England fly-half Ford appeared disappointed at Allianz Stadium.

He was called upon as a substitute to assist England secure a memorable triumph against New Zealand, yet failed to convert a crucial penalty along with a drop-kick as England were beaten by a narrow margin.

After those expensive errors, Ford needed to put in effort to get another shot to bring victory for England.

His playing time was limited to 25 minutes in the recent Six Nations but a string of excellent displays, especially during the summer tour of Argentina and the United States as Fin Smith and Marcus Smith had departed for British and Irish Lions duty, returned him solidly in the starting mix.

The 32-year-old fully validated Steve Borthwick's faith through his selection against the All Blacks, and the Sharks star achieved a best-player showing to assist the hosts to a first win over New Zealand in their own stadium for the first time since 2012.

The pivotal moment occurred as Ford converted consecutive drop-kicks immediately preceding halftime.

This assisted England recover from 12-0 down to trail 12-11 when the half ended, before Borthwick's star-studded bench again delivered during the final period to support England to a decisive 33-19 win.

"You have to give credit to the experienced players on our squad, particularly Ford," Borthwick told. "During that phase where he hit those drop-kicks, he managed the game just incredibly.

"One year earlier I thought George substituted and competed very effectively [versus the All Blacks].

"A attempt hit the upright and he tried a difficult drop-goal, but he played really well.

"He is a phenomenal leader, an outstanding athlete and an even finer individual. We are fortunate to have him in our squad."

Drop-kicks 'consistently planned'

The Kiwis started quickly in the stadium, racing into a substantial early margin via touchdowns by two key players.

After Lawrence's powerful finish, Ford's back-to-back three-pointers ensured England entered the halftime break with the momentum.

"The tough part at those times is, when the scoreboard says 12-0, we are able to adhere to our plan and our philosophy the optimal approach to play the game is," Ford said.

"We got ourselves back into contention and we understood were we to commence the latter half effectively, with the bench coming on, we found ourselves in an advantageous spot.

"Despite having 15 minutes left, we were positioned near our try line after a penalty, thus we encountered obstacles there as well.

"I believe this illustrates Test rugby is - who can deal with those moments most effectively."

Both kicks occurred within close succession while the number 10 who executed three crucial kicks during a victory facing the Argentine team at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, demonstrated his full 104-cap experience.

Ford hit two drop-kicks representing Sale in a league contest conducted in challenging weather at Bath - this represents an ability he has mastered thoroughly.

"It [the drop-goals] are consistently planned," Ford continued.

"Steve is such an incredible coach since he continually in my ear about it, and appropriately since three points are crucial throughout the match of the game."

Ford directed his team superbly throughout the match the entire match, executing intelligent kicks - both in contestable situations and identifying openings behind the visitors' backfield.

His trademark 'spiral bomb' additionally troubled Beauden Barrett, who couldn't collect.

Following his start in the English victory versus the Wallabies in early November, Ford relinquished the number 10 jersey to his replacement during the Fiji match seven days later.

But the biggest test theoretically this season was presented by the experienced New Zealand team, and Ford reclaimed his spot.

England, presently maintaining ten consecutive victories, meet Argentina this month and curiosity remains to discover whether the coach returns with the alternative or persists with Ford.

Regardless of the selection, Ford demonstrated with two years remaining before the World Cup that there is plenty of career ahead within him.