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

The replacement was brought on off the sidelines to support England complete a famous win versus the All Blacks, however failed to convert a crucial penalty and drop-goal as England lost by a narrow margin.

After those expensive errors, Ford needed to put in effort to get another shot to bring victory to the English team.

His playing time was limited to 25 minutes in the recent Six Nations but a string of strong showings, notably in the summer tour of Argentina and the United States when the Smith players had departed for Lions tour commitments, put him firmly back as a starting option.

The 32-year-old fully validated the coach's trust by selecting him against the All Blacks, and the Sharks star achieved a best-player showing to assist England to their initial victory against the All Blacks at home for the first time since 2012.

The pivotal moment came when Ford nailed consecutive drop-kicks immediately preceding halftime.

This assisted England recover from 12-0 down to reduce the margin to 12-11 when the half ended, ahead of the manager's skilled reserves once more performed in the second half to assist the team to a comfortable 33-19 triumph.

"Credit must be given to the experienced players in our team, particularly Ford," the coach stated. "In that moment as he scored those crucial kicks, he directed play remarkably well.

"Twelve months ago I believed Ford entered and performed exceptionally well [versus the All Blacks].

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

"He's a tremendous guide, an outstanding athlete and an even finer individual. We are fortunate to feature him on our team."

Drop-goals 'part of the strategy'

The Kiwis commenced strongly at Allianz Stadium, building a twelve-point advantage via touchdowns by Leicester Fainga'anuku and Codie Taylor.

Following Ollie Lawrence's powerful finish, the fly-half's successive drop-goals ensured England bounced into the locker room with psychological advantage.

"The difficult aspect during those periods is, when the scoreboard says 12-0, we are able to adhere to our strategy and what we believe the superior method to play the game is," Ford explained.

"We worked our way back into it and we recognized if we started the latter half effectively, as reserves joined, we were in an advantageous spot.

"Even with fifteen minutes to go, we found ourselves near our try line following a card, so we had challenges there as well.

"I believe this illustrates Test rugby is - who can deal with those moments most effectively."

Both kicks happened within a two-minute span as Ford who executed three drop-kicks in a successful match against Argentina during the 2023 World Cup, demonstrated his full 104-cap experience.

Ford successfully executed two drop-kicks for Sale during a Premiership match occurring during tough circumstances versus Bath - this represents an ability he is well-practised in.

"The drop-kicks are consistently planned," Ford stated further.

"The coach is such an incredible coach since he continually advising me, and rightly so because three points prove important during any phase of the game."

Ford directed England excellently around the field the entire match, kicking smartly - both to compete and in finding space against the defensive line.

His signature 'spiral bomb' additionally troubled the New Zealand player, who failed to regather.

Having started the English victory over Australia on 1 November, Ford passed on the fly-half position to his replacement against Fiji a week later.

But the biggest test in terms of difficulty was presented by the experienced New Zealand team, with Ford regaining his position.

The English team, presently maintaining ten consecutive victories, face Argentina this month creating intrigue to learn if Borthwick goes back to Fin Smith or persists with Ford.

Whichever decision is made, Ford proved two years away before the World Cup that there is plenty of career ahead within him.