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Back in November 2024, English number 10 George Ford looked disheartened during the match.

The replacement was brought on off the sidelines to assist England secure a memorable triumph facing the Kiwis, yet failed to convert a crucial penalty plus a drop-goal attempt as his side fell short by two points.

After those expensive errors, Ford needed to put in effort to get another shot at delivering glory to the English team.

He played only 25 minutes in the recent Six Nations however a series of excellent displays, particularly on the summer tour of Argentina and the United States as Fin Smith and Marcus Smith had departed for Lions tour commitments, returned him solidly among starting candidates.

The veteran player fully validated the coach's trust by selecting him versus New Zealand, but the Sale Sharks playmaker produced a man-of-the-match display to assist England to a breakthrough triumph against the All Blacks on home soil ending a drought dating to 2012.

The crucial point in the game Ford successfully executed two drop-goals in succession just before the break.

This assisted England overcome a 12-0 deficit to narrow the gap to 12-11 when the half ended, prior to the coach's talented substitutes repeatedly excelled after halftime to support England to a convincing 33-19 win.

"You have to give credit to the senior players on our squad, especially George," the coach stated. "During that phase where he hit those crucial kicks, he directed play absolutely brilliantly.

"Last year I thought George entered and performed very effectively [facing the Kiwis].

"A attempt hit the upright while he attempted a difficult drop-goal, yet he performed excellently.

"He's an exceptional captain, a superb performer and an even better person. We are privileged to include him in our squad."

Drop-goals 'always in the plan'

New Zealand began rapidly in the stadium, racing into a 12-point lead through scores from two key players.

Subsequent to Ollie Lawrence's impressive score, the fly-half's successive drop-kicks ensured England returned to the changing rooms with the momentum.

"The tough part at those times comes when the board shows a twelve-point deficit, we must maintain to our guns and our convictions the superior method to perform is," Ford said.

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

"Despite having fifteen minutes to go, we found ourselves defending our goal line after a penalty, thus we encountered obstacles there as well.

"I believe this illustrates Test rugby is - which team can handle in those circumstances superiorly."

Both kicks happened within a two-minute span as the fly-half who executed three drop-goals during a victory against Argentina at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, showed all his 104-cap experience.

Ford hit two three-pointers with Sale during a Premiership match occurring during challenging weather versus Bath - this represents an ability he is well-practised in.

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

"The coach is such an outstanding manager that he consistently in my ear about it, and correctly so because three points are crucial during any phase of the game."

Ford guided his side brilliantly around the field all game, executing intelligent kicks - for both attacking and defensive purposes and in finding space behind the visitors' backfield.

His signature tactical bomb further confused Beauden Barrett, who failed to regather.

Having started England's win versus the Wallabies in early November, Ford relinquished the number 10 jersey to the younger Smith during the Fiji match the following week.

Yet the most significant examination in terms of difficulty occurred versus the multiple World Cup winners, with Ford regaining his starting role.

The English team, currently enjoying ten consecutive victories, face Argentina in late November creating intrigue to discover whether the coach returns for the younger Smith or maintains Ford.

Whichever decision is made, Ford established two years away from a World Cup that there is plenty of rugby left in him.