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Back in November 2024, England fly-half George Ford looked disheartened during the match.

He was called upon off the sidelines to assist England complete a famous win versus the All Blacks, however failed to convert a decisive kick plus a drop-goal attempt as his side fell short by a narrow margin.

Following those costly misses, Ford needed to put in effort to secure another chance at delivering glory for England.

He saw just 25 minutes of action during this year's Six Nations yet multiple excellent displays, especially during the warm-weather tour against Argentina and the USA while Fin Smith and Marcus Smith had departed for Lions tour commitments, reestablished him strongly as a starting option.

At 32 years old not only repaid the coach's trust in starting him against the All Blacks, plus the club standout achieved a best-player showing to assist England to a breakthrough triumph versus the Kiwis in their own stadium for the first time since 2012.

The pivotal moment came when Ford successfully executed back-to-back drop-goals right before half-time.

This assisted England bounce back from being down 12-0 to trail 12-11 by halftime, prior to the coach's talented substitutes once more performed during the final period to support England to a convincing 33-19 win.

"Recognition should be offered to the experienced players in our team, especially George," Borthwick told. "During that phase where he hit those crucial kicks, he directed play absolutely brilliantly.

"One year earlier I believed Ford substituted and competed really well [against New Zealand].

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

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

Drop-kicks 'consistently planned'

New Zealand began rapidly in the stadium, surging to a substantial early margin via touchdowns by Leicester Fainga'anuku and Codie Taylor.

Subsequent to Ollie Lawrence's impressive score, Ford's back-to-back drop-kicks resulted in the home side returned to the halftime break with renewed energy.

"The difficult aspect in those moments comes when the board shows 12-0, we are able to adhere to our guns and what we believe the best way to play the game is," Ford explained.

"We got ourselves back into contention and we understood if we started the latter half effectively, with the bench coming on, we would be in a good position.

"Although facing fifteen minutes to go, we were positioned on our own line after a penalty, meaning we faced difficulties there as well.

"I think that's what Test rugby is - which team can handle with those moments superiorly."

Each effort happened within close succession as Ford who successfully converted three crucial kicks in a win versus Argentina during the 2023 World Cup, demonstrated his full century of caps experience.

Ford successfully executed two drop-kicks for Sale during a Premiership match played in tough circumstances at Bath - this demonstrates a talent he has extensively practiced.

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

"Borthwick represents a phenomenal leader since he continually advising me, and rightly so since three points is valuable during any phase of the game."

Ford directed his team superbly around the field all game, making smart decisions - both to compete and locating gaps against the defensive line.

His signature tactical bomb further confused the New Zealand player, who mishandled the ball.

Following his start in the national team's triumph against Australia during the autumn series, Ford relinquished the starting role to Fin Smith for the Fiji victory a week later.

Yet the most significant examination in terms of difficulty came against the experienced New Zealand team, so Ford returned to his spot.

The English team, currently enjoying 10 straight wins, meet Argentina this month and it will be interesting to discover whether the coach returns for the younger Smith or persists with Ford.

Whichever decision is made, Ford established two years away before the World Cup that ample opportunity of career ahead in him.