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In November 2024, England fly-half George Ford looked disheartened at Allianz Stadium.

The replacement was brought on from the bench to support England complete a famous win against New Zealand, but instead was unable to score a decisive kick plus a drop-goal attempt as England lost by two points.

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

His playing time was limited to 25 minutes in the recent Six Nations however a series of impressive performances, especially during the summer tour of Argentina and the United States when the Smith players had departed for British and Irish Lions duty, returned him solidly as a starting option.

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 England to a breakthrough triumph versus the Kiwis at home since 2012.

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

This enabled the English recover from 12-0 down to narrow the gap to 12-11 when the half ended, before Borthwick's star-studded bench repeatedly excelled in the second half to help his side to a decisive 33-19 victory.

"Recognition should be offered to the senior players within our side, especially George," the manager commented. "During that phase where he hit those drop-kicks, he controlled the match remarkably well.

"Last year I thought George substituted and competed really well [versus the All Blacks].

"One kick struck the post and he had a difficult drop-goal, yet he performed excellently.

"He's a tremendous guide, an outstanding athlete and an even finer individual. We are honored to feature him within our roster."

Drop-goals 'part of the strategy'

New Zealand commenced strongly in the stadium, surging to a 12-point lead via touchdowns by Fainga'anuku and Taylor.

Subsequent to Ollie Lawrence's impressive score, Ford's consecutive three-pointers meant the hosts bounced into the changing rooms with renewed energy.

"The difficult aspect in those moments is, when the scoreboard says 12-0, we can stick to our strategy and what we believe the best way to compete is," Ford said.

"We got ourselves back into contention and we recognized should we begin the second half well, with substitutes entering, we were in an advantageous spot.

"Although facing 15 minutes left, we were positioned near our try line after a penalty, thus we encountered obstacles during that phase also.

"I think that's what Test rugby is - who manages best in those circumstances most effectively."

Each effort happened within a two-minute span as the fly-half who nailed three crucial kicks in a win versus Argentina during the 2023 World Cup, displayed his complete international experience.

Ford hit two three-pointers representing Sale in a league contest played in tough circumstances at Bath - it is a skill he is well-practised in.

"It [the drop-goals] is always in the plan," Ford stated further.

"Steve is such a phenomenal leader that he is always advising me, and appropriately since three points is valuable during any phase of the game."

Ford marshalled his team superbly around the field the complete contest, kicking smartly - both to compete and locating gaps behind the visitors' backfield.

His characteristic 'spiral bomb' additionally troubled Beauden Barrett, who mishandled the ball.

Having started the national team's triumph against Australia on 1 November, Ford passed on the starting role to Fin Smith during the Fiji match the following week.

But the biggest test theoretically this season came against the multiple World Cup winners, so Ford returned to his position.

The English team, currently enjoying 10 straight wins, play against Argentina in late November and curiosity remains to discover if the manager opts to Fin Smith or persists with Ford.

Regardless of the selection, Ford established with two years remaining before the World Cup that there is plenty of rugby left in him.