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During November 2024, national team playmaker George Ford cut a dejected figure at Allianz Stadium.

He was called upon as a substitute to support the hosts secure a famous win facing the Kiwis, yet missed a late penalty and drop-goal as his side fell short in a close contest.

Following those costly misses, Ford needed to put in effort to secure another chance to achieve success to the English team.

His playing time was limited to 25 minutes throughout the Six Nations tournament however a series of strong showings, particularly on the summer matches versus Argentine and American teams when the Smith players were away on Lions team responsibilities, put him firmly back in the starting mix.

The veteran player did more than justify the coach's trust in starting him versus New Zealand, and the Sharks star delivered a player-of-the-match performance to assist England to a breakthrough triumph against the All Blacks in their own stadium since 2012.

The decisive instant occurred as Ford converted back-to-back drop-goals right before half-time.

This assisted England bounce back from being down 12-0 to reduce the margin to 12-11 at the break, ahead of the manager's skilled reserves repeatedly excelled during the final period to assist the team to a convincing 33-19 victory.

"Credit must be given to the experienced players in our team, especially George," the manager commented. "That period as he scored those drop-kicks, he managed the game remarkably well.

"Twelve months ago I believed Ford entered and performed exceptionally well [against New Zealand].

"One kick struck the post and he tried a pressured drop-kick, but he played really well.

"He is a phenomenal leader, 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 at Allianz Stadium, racing into a substantial early margin through scores from Leicester Fainga'anuku and Codie Taylor.

Subsequent to Ollie Lawrence's impressive score, the fly-half's successive three-pointers ensured England returned to the halftime break with renewed energy.

"The challenging thing at those times comes when the board shows a twelve-point deficit, we are able to adhere to our plan and what we believe the superior method to perform is," Ford said.

"We worked our way back into contention and we recognized should we begin the latter half effectively, with the bench coming on, we found ourselves in a good position.

"Even with fifteen minutes to go, we found ourselves defending our goal line after a penalty, meaning we faced difficulties in that instance too.

"I believe this illustrates international rugby involves - who manages best during those situations the best."

The two attempts came within a two-minute span as the fly-half who nailed three crucial kicks in a successful match versus Argentina in the last global tournament, showed all his century of caps experience.

Ford hit two drop-kicks representing Sale in a Prem game occurring during tough circumstances against Bath - this demonstrates a talent he has extensively practiced.

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

"The coach is such an outstanding manager that he consistently reminding me, and rightly so because three points prove important at any stage of play."

Ford guided England excellently around the field the entire match, kicking smartly - both in contestable situations and in finding space against the defensive line.

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

Having started England's win over Australia in early November, Ford handed over the starting role to the younger Smith for the Fiji victory the following week.

Yet the most significant examination theoretically this season was presented by the experienced New Zealand team, with Ford regaining his spot.

The national side, now on a run of ten consecutive victories, meet Argentina this month and it will be interesting to discover whether the coach returns for the younger Smith or maintains Ford.

Whichever decision is made, Ford demonstrated with two years remaining prior to global competition that significant amounts of rugby left in him.