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In November 2024, national team playmaker George Ford appeared disappointed during the match.

He was called upon as a substitute to assist the home side close out a memorable triumph facing the Kiwis, but instead was unable to score a late penalty plus a drop-goal attempt as his side lost by a narrow margin.

In the wake of those pivotal failures, Ford had to work hard to get another shot at delivering glory for England.

He saw just 25 minutes of action during this year's Six Nations but a string of strong showings, especially during the summer tour of Argentina and the United States when the Smith players were absent for Lions tour commitments, reestablished him strongly in the starting mix.

The 32-year-old fully validated the manager's confidence in starting him against the All Blacks, plus the club standout delivered a player-of-the-match performance to help England to a first win versus the Kiwis in their own stadium ending a drought dating to 2012.

The pivotal moment in the game Ford successfully executed consecutive drop-kicks immediately preceding halftime.

It helped England recover from 12-0 down to narrow the gap to 12-11 by halftime, prior to the coach's talented substitutes repeatedly excelled in the second half to help his side to a convincing 33-19 triumph.

"You have to give credit to the experienced players in our team, especially George," the manager commented. "That period when he converted those crucial kicks, he managed the game remarkably well.

"One year earlier In my view George entered and performed exceptionally well [against New Zealand].

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

"He is a phenomenal leader, a superb performer and an even better person. We are privileged to have him on our team."

Drop-goals 'always in the plan'

New Zealand started quickly at Allianz Stadium, racing into a substantial early margin via touchdowns by Fainga'anuku and Taylor.

Following Ollie Lawrence's strong try, Ford's back-to-back drop-kicks ensured England entered the halftime break with the momentum.

"The difficult aspect in those moments is, when the scoreboard says a twelve-point deficit, we are able to adhere to our guns and our convictions the best way to play the game is," Ford explained.

"We worked our way back into it and we understood were we to commence the second half well, with substitutes entering, we would be in a favorable situation.

"Even with fifteen minutes to go, we ended up near our try line following a card, so we had challenges in that instance too.

"In my opinion that represents international rugby involves - which team can handle during those situations the best."

Each effort came within a two-minute span as Ford who successfully converted three drop-kicks during a victory facing the Argentine team during the 2023 World Cup, demonstrated his full century of caps experience.

Ford successfully executed two drop-kicks representing Sale in a Prem game played in tough circumstances at Bath - it is a skill he has extensively practiced.

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

"Borthwick represents an incredible coach that he consistently in my ear about it, and correctly so as three points prove important during any phase of the game."

Ford marshalled his side brilliantly throughout the match the entire match, making smart decisions - both in contestable situations and identifying openings against the defensive line.

His signature high spiral kick additionally troubled the New Zealand player, who mishandled the ball.

After beginning the English victory versus the Wallabies in early November, Ford handed over the fly-half position to Fin Smith for the Fiji victory seven days later.

But the biggest test in terms of difficulty occurred versus the multiple World Cup winners, and Ford reclaimed his starting role.

England, presently maintaining ten consecutive victories, play against Argentina on 23 November creating intrigue to discover if the manager opts with the alternative or continues with Ford.

Whichever decision is made, Ford proved ahead of the next tournament before the World Cup that significant amounts of rugby left in him.