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

He was called upon off the sidelines to assist the hosts close out a memorable triumph against New Zealand, yet failed to convert a crucial penalty plus a drop-goal attempt while his team lost by two points.

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

He saw just 25 minutes of action throughout the Six Nations tournament yet multiple strong showings, especially during the warm-weather tour against Argentina and the USA while Fin Smith and Marcus Smith were absent for Lions team responsibilities, returned him solidly in the starting mix.

At 32 years old fully validated Steve Borthwick's faith by selecting him facing the Kiwis, but the Sale Sharks playmaker produced a man-of-the-match display to help the home team to a first win versus the Kiwis in their own stadium since 2012.

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

This assisted England recover from 12-0 down to reduce the margin to 12-11 by halftime, ahead of the manager's skilled reserves again delivered during the final period to assist the team to a convincing 33-19 victory.

"Recognition should be offered to the veteran members within our side, particularly Ford," Borthwick told. "That period as he scored those drop-kicks, he controlled the match just incredibly.

"Twelve months ago I believed Ford entered and performed really well [facing the Kiwis].

"A attempt hit the upright and he had a pressured drop-kick, yet he performed excellently.

"He's a tremendous guide, a brilliant player and an even finer individual. We are honored to feature him in our squad."

Drop-goals 'part of the strategy'

New Zealand started quickly during the match, surging to a twelve-point advantage through scores from Leicester Fainga'anuku and Codie Taylor.

Following Ollie Lawrence's impressive score, Ford's consecutive three-pointers ensured England returned to the halftime break with renewed energy.

"The difficult aspect at those times is, when the scoreboard says 12-0, we can stick to our guns and what we believe the optimal approach to compete is," Ford said.

"We fought our way back into it and we recognized if we started the latter half effectively, with substitutes entering, we were in a favorable situation.

"Even with 15 minutes left, we ended up on our own line following a card, so we had challenges there as well.

"I think that's what international rugby involves - which team can handle during those situations most effectively."

Each effort occurred within close succession as Ford who executed three drop-goals during a victory against Argentina in the last global tournament, showed all his century of caps experience.

Ford successfully executed two three-pointers for Sale in a league contest played in difficult conditions versus Bath - this demonstrates a talent he has mastered thoroughly.

"The drop-kicks are consistently planned," Ford added.

"Borthwick represents an outstanding manager that he is always reminding me, and correctly so as three points prove important during any phase of play."

Ford marshalled England excellently around the field the entire match, kicking smartly - both in contestable situations and in finding space in the opposition's territory.

His signature 'spiral bomb' additionally troubled the New Zealand player, who failed to regather.

Having started the English victory versus the Wallabies in early November, Ford passed on the starting role to the younger Smith for the Fiji victory seven days later.

Yet the most significant examination on paper this autumn occurred versus the experienced New Zealand team, so Ford returned to his starting role.

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

Regardless of the selection, Ford demonstrated two years away before the World Cup that ample opportunity of rugby left within him.