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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 support the hosts secure a memorable triumph versus the All Blacks, yet missed a decisive kick plus a drop-goal attempt as his side fell short by two points.

After those expensive errors, the player was required to strive to secure another chance to achieve success for England.

He saw just 25 minutes of action during this year's Six Nations but a string of excellent displays, notably in the summer matches of Argentina and the United States when the Smith players were away on British and Irish Lions duty, reestablished him strongly among starting candidates.

The veteran player fully validated Steve Borthwick's faith through his selection facing the Kiwis, and the Sharks star produced a man-of-the-match display to help the hosts to their initial victory against the All Blacks in their own stadium since 2012.

The pivotal moment came when Ford nailed back-to-back drop-goals just before the break.

It helped England recover from 12-0 down to trail 12-11 by halftime, before Borthwick's star-studded bench once more performed after halftime to help his side to a comfortable 33-19 win.

"You have to give credit to the senior players in our team, particularly Ford," Borthwick told. "In that moment as he scored those drop-kicks, he managed the game just incredibly.

"One year earlier I believed Ford substituted and competed very effectively [facing the Kiwis].

"A attempt hit the upright and he tried a pressured drop-kick, however his play was outstanding.

"He's an exceptional captain, a brilliant player plus a better human being. We are privileged to feature him in our squad."

Drop-goals 'part of the strategy'

The All Blacks started quickly in the stadium, building a twelve-point advantage via touchdowns by Fainga'anuku and Taylor.

After Lawrence's impressive score, Ford's back-to-back drop-goals ensured England entered the changing rooms with renewed energy.

"The challenging thing at those times is, when the scoreboard says a twelve-point deficit, we are able to adhere to our plan and what we believe the best way to perform is," Ford stated.

"We fought our way back into it and we understood if we started the final period strongly, with substitutes entering, we would be in a good position.

"Even with 15 minutes left, we were positioned defending our goal line after a penalty, meaning we faced difficulties there as well.

"I believe this illustrates Test rugby is - who manages best during those situations superiorly."

Each effort happened within a two-minute span while the number 10 who nailed three crucial kicks in a successful match facing the Argentine team during the 2023 World Cup, showed all his century of caps experience.

Ford converted two drop-kicks representing Sale in a Prem game conducted in tough circumstances against Bath - this represents an ability he is well-practised in.

"These attempts is always in the plan," Ford added.

"Steve is such a phenomenal leader that he is always advising me, and appropriately because three points prove important at any stage of the game."

Ford directed his side brilliantly across the pitch all game, kicking smartly - for both attacking and defensive purposes and locating gaps in the opposition's territory.

His signature 'spiral bomb' further confused the New Zealand player, who failed to regather.

After beginning England's win versus the Wallabies during the autumn series, Ford relinquished the fly-half position to his replacement during the Fiji match seven days later.

Yet the most significant examination in terms of difficulty was presented by the three-time world champions, with Ford regaining his starting role.

The English team, now on a run of an unbeaten streak of ten, meet Argentina on 23 November creating intrigue to determine if the manager opts with the alternative or continues with Ford.

Whatever choice occurs, Ford proved ahead of the next tournament from a World Cup that there is plenty of career ahead in him.