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Back in November 2024, national team playmaker Ford appeared disappointed on the Allianz Stadium turf.

The replacement was brought on off the sidelines to support England close out an historic victory against New Zealand, yet missed a late penalty plus a drop-goal attempt as his side were beaten in a close contest.

In the wake of those pivotal failures, the player was required to strive to secure another chance to achieve success to the English team.

He saw just 25 minutes of action throughout the Six Nations tournament but a string of impressive performances, notably in the summer tour versus Argentine and American teams as Fin Smith and Marcus Smith had departed for Lions tour commitments, put him firmly back as a starting option.

At 32 years old fully validated the coach's trust by selecting him against the All Blacks, plus the club standout delivered a player-of-the-match performance to assist England to a breakthrough triumph against the All Blacks on home soil since 2012.

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

This enabled the English recover from 12-0 down to narrow the gap to 12-11 at the break, before Borthwick's star-studded bench again delivered after halftime to help his side to a convincing 33-19 victory.

"You have to give credit to the veteran members within our side, notably George," the coach stated. "During that phase as he scored those crucial kicks, he managed the game just incredibly.

"Twelve months ago I thought George came on and played really well [versus the All Blacks].

"One kick struck the post and he tried a difficult drop-goal, yet he performed excellently.

"He is a phenomenal leader, an outstanding athlete and an even finer individual. We are honored to include him within our roster."

Drop-goals 'always in the plan'

New Zealand started quickly in the stadium, building a substantial early margin through scores from two key players.

Subsequent to Ollie Lawrence's powerful finish, the fly-half's successive drop-kicks resulted in the home side bounced into the changing rooms with the momentum.

"The challenging thing during those periods occurs as the display indicates 12-0, we can stick to our plan and our convictions the optimal approach to compete is," Ford explained.

"We got ourselves back into it and we understood if we started the second half well, as reserves joined, we found ourselves in a good position.

"Although facing fifteen minutes to go, we found ourselves on our own line after a penalty, so we had challenges during that phase also.

"I think that's what international rugby involves - who manages best in those circumstances most effectively."

The two attempts happened within a two-minute span as Ford who successfully converted three drop-kicks in a win versus Argentina in the last global tournament, displayed his complete 104-cap experience.

Ford converted two drop-kicks with Sale in a Prem game occurring during tough circumstances against Bath - it is a skill he has extensively practiced.

"It [the drop-goals] is always in the plan," Ford stated further.

"The coach is such an outstanding manager that he is always advising me, and correctly so since three points prove important at any stage of competition."

Ford directed his team superbly throughout the match the complete contest, kicking smartly - both to compete and identifying openings behind the visitors' backfield.

His signature high spiral kick additionally troubled Beauden Barrett, who failed to regather.

Following his start in the English victory against Australia on 1 November, Ford relinquished the number 10 jersey to his replacement for the Fiji victory the following week.

But the biggest test in terms of difficulty came against the three-time world champions, and Ford reclaimed his position.

The national side, currently enjoying 10 straight wins, meet Argentina in late November creating intrigue to discover if Borthwick goes back for the younger Smith or maintains Ford.

Whatever choice occurs, Ford established two years away before the World Cup that ample opportunity of career ahead in him.