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In November 2024, English number 10 George Ford looked disheartened at Allianz Stadium.

The replacement was brought on from the bench to help the hosts secure a memorable triumph facing the Kiwis, yet was unable to score a crucial penalty and drop-goal as England fell short in a close contest.

Following those costly misses, Ford needed to put in effort to secure another chance to achieve success to the English team.

His playing time was limited to 25 minutes during this year's Six Nations however a series of strong showings, notably in the warm-weather tour of Argentina and the United States while Fin Smith and Marcus Smith were away on British and Irish Lions duty, returned him solidly in the starting mix.

The veteran player did more than justify the coach's trust in starting him versus New Zealand, plus the club standout produced a man-of-the-match display to help England to their initial victory versus the Kiwis at home since 2012.

The decisive instant came when Ford converted back-to-back drop-goals just before the break.

This assisted England overcome a 12-0 deficit to trail 12-11 by halftime, prior to the coach's talented substitutes repeatedly excelled in the second half to assist the team to a decisive 33-19 victory.

"You have to give credit to the experienced players on our squad, especially George," the coach stated. "During that phase as he scored those drop-kicks, he controlled the match absolutely brilliantly.

"Last year I thought George entered and performed exceptionally well [against New Zealand].

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

"He's an exceptional captain, a brilliant player and an even better person. We are honored to feature him in our squad."

Drop-goals 'always in the plan'

New Zealand commenced strongly in the stadium, racing into a 12-point lead with tries by two key players.

Subsequent to Ollie Lawrence's powerful finish, Ford's consecutive drop-kicks meant the hosts bounced into the halftime break with the momentum.

"The difficult aspect at those times comes when the board shows twelve to zero, we must maintain to our strategy and our convictions the best way to play the game is," Ford stated.

"We got ourselves back into the game and we recognized should we begin the second half well, with substitutes entering, we would be in a good position.

"Even with a quarter-hour remaining, we found ourselves on our own line with a yellow card, thus we encountered obstacles in that instance too.

"I believe this illustrates international rugby involves - which team can handle in those circumstances most effectively."

The two attempts occurred within a two-minute span while the number 10 who executed three crucial kicks in a win facing the Argentine team at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, demonstrated his full international experience.

Ford hit two drop-kicks with Sale during a Premiership match conducted in challenging weather versus Bath - this demonstrates a talent he is well-practised in.

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

"The coach is such an outstanding manager that he is always advising me, and rightly so since three points is valuable at any stage of the game."

Ford marshalled his side brilliantly around the field the complete contest, making smart decisions - both in contestable situations and identifying openings against the defensive line.

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

Following his start in the English victory against Australia in early November, Ford passed on the fly-half position to his replacement during the Fiji match the following week.

Yet the most significant examination theoretically this season was presented by the experienced New Zealand team, with Ford regaining his spot.

England, now on a run of ten consecutive victories, meet Argentina on 23 November and curiosity remains to learn if the manager opts with the alternative or continues with Ford.

Whatever choice occurs, Ford demonstrated with two years remaining from a World Cup that ample opportunity of rugby left for him.