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In November 2024, national team playmaker Ford cut a dejected figure during the match.

Ford had been summoned off the sidelines to assist England close out a memorable triumph facing the Kiwis, but instead missed a late penalty plus a drop-goal attempt while his team were beaten in a close contest.

In the wake of those pivotal failures, Ford needed to put in effort to secure another chance to bring victory to the English team.

His playing time was limited to 25 minutes in the recent Six Nations however a series of excellent displays, especially during the summer matches against Argentina and the USA while Fin Smith and Marcus Smith had departed for British and Irish Lions duty, reestablished him strongly in the starting mix.

The veteran player did more than justify the manager's confidence by selecting him versus New Zealand, plus the club standout achieved a best-player showing to help the home team to a first win over New Zealand on home soil ending a drought dating to 2012.

The pivotal moment occurred as Ford converted two drop-goals in succession right before half-time.

It helped England overcome a 12-0 deficit to trail 12-11 at the break, ahead of the manager's skilled reserves once more performed after halftime to support England to a comfortable 33-19 triumph.

"Credit must be given to the senior players within our side, particularly Ford," the coach stated. "That period as he scored those drop-goals, he directed play absolutely brilliantly.

"Last year In my view George entered and performed really well [against New Zealand].

"A attempt hit the upright while he attempted a drop-goal under pressure, yet he performed excellently.

"He's an exceptional captain, a brilliant player and an even finer individual. We are fortunate to have him in our squad."

Drop-kicks 'consistently planned'

The All Blacks commenced strongly during the match, surging to a 12-point lead with tries by two key players.

After Lawrence's impressive score, Ford's back-to-back drop-goals resulted in the home side bounced into the halftime break with the momentum.

"The challenging thing in those moments occurs as the display indicates 12-0, we can stick to our plan and our philosophy the superior method to compete is," Ford explained.

"We worked our way back into contention and we recognized if we started the latter half effectively, with the bench coming on, we found ourselves in a favorable situation.

"Despite having fifteen minutes to go, we ended up defending our goal line following a card, so we had challenges there as well.

"I think that's what international rugby involves - which team can handle with those moments superiorly."

Both kicks came within a two-minute span as Ford who executed three drop-kicks during a victory against Argentina at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, showed all his century of caps experience.

Ford successfully executed two drop-kicks with Sale during a Premiership match played in difficult conditions versus Bath - it is a skill he is well-practised in.

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

"Steve is such an outstanding manager since he continually reminding me, and correctly so as three points prove important at any stage of competition."

Ford marshalled England excellently across the pitch the entire match, executing intelligent kicks - for both attacking and defensive purposes and in finding space in the opposition's territory.

His signature high spiral kick further confused the opposing fullback, who couldn't collect.

Having started the English victory versus the Wallabies during the autumn series, Ford relinquished the number 10 jersey to the younger Smith for the Fiji victory a week later.

However the greatest challenge in terms of difficulty occurred versus the three-time world champions, and Ford reclaimed his position.

England, currently enjoying an unbeaten streak of ten, face Argentina in late November and it will be interesting to discover if the manager opts with the alternative or persists with Ford.

Regardless of the selection, Ford proved with two years remaining from a World Cup that significant amounts of career ahead in him.