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Back in November 2024, English number 10 George Ford appeared disappointed on the Allianz Stadium turf.

The replacement was brought on from the bench to assist the hosts secure a memorable triumph facing the Kiwis, yet missed a decisive kick and drop-goal as England were beaten in a close contest.

In the wake of those pivotal failures, Ford needed to put in effort to secure another chance to achieve success for England.

His playing time was limited to 25 minutes during this year's Six Nations however a series of strong showings, especially during the summer tour of Argentina and the United States as Fin Smith and Marcus Smith were absent for Lions team responsibilities, reestablished him strongly in the starting mix.

At 32 years old fully validated Steve Borthwick's faith by selecting him facing the Kiwis, plus the club standout achieved a best-player showing to assist the home team to their initial victory versus the Kiwis at home for the first time since 2012.

The crucial point occurred as Ford converted consecutive drop-kicks just before the break.

This enabled the English bounce back from being down 12-0 to trail 12-11 at the break, prior to the coach's talented substitutes again delivered during the final period to assist the team to a decisive 33-19 victory.

"You have to give credit to the senior players on our squad, notably George," the manager commented. "In that moment as he scored those drop-goals, he controlled the match remarkably well.

"Twelve months ago In my view George substituted and competed really well [against New Zealand].

"One kick struck the post and he had a difficult drop-goal, but he played really well.

"He is a phenomenal leader, a superb performer plus a better human being. We are honored to include him on our team."

Drop-goals 'part of the strategy'

The Kiwis commenced strongly in the stadium, racing into a 12-point lead through scores from Leicester Fainga'anuku and Codie Taylor.

Subsequent to Ollie Lawrence's impressive score, the fly-half's successive drop-goals meant the hosts entered the halftime break with psychological advantage.

"The difficult aspect during those periods comes when the board shows twelve to zero, we are able to adhere to our strategy and our convictions the optimal approach to play the game is," Ford stated.

"We got ourselves back into contention and we understood if we started the final period strongly, with substitutes entering, we would be in a favorable situation.

"Even with fifteen minutes to go, we found ourselves defending our goal line following a card, thus we encountered obstacles in that instance too.

"I think that's what Test rugby is - who can deal during those situations superiorly."

The two attempts came within close succession while the number 10 who nailed three drop-goals in a win facing the Argentine team in the last global tournament, demonstrated his full 104-cap experience.

Ford successfully executed two drop-goals representing Sale in a Prem game conducted in tough circumstances versus Bath - this demonstrates a talent he has mastered thoroughly.

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

"Borthwick represents an outstanding manager that he consistently advising me, and correctly so since three points are crucial at any stage of competition."

Ford marshalled his side brilliantly throughout the match the complete contest, making smart decisions - for both attacking and defensive purposes and locating gaps against the defensive line.

His trademark high spiral kick also bamboozled Beauden Barrett, who failed to regather.

Having started the English victory versus the Wallabies on 1 November, Ford handed over the number 10 jersey to his replacement against Fiji the following week.

Yet the most significant examination theoretically this season came against the experienced New Zealand team, and Ford reclaimed his spot.

The national side, presently maintaining 10 straight wins, face Argentina this month and it will be interesting to learn whether the coach returns to Fin Smith or persists with Ford.

Regardless of the selection, Ford proved two years away prior to global competition that there is plenty of play remaining in him.