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

Ford had been summoned from the bench to assist England secure an historic victory versus the All Blacks, however missed a late penalty and drop-goal as England fell short by two points.

In the wake of those pivotal failures, Ford needed to put in effort to earn another opportunity at delivering glory for England.

His playing time was limited to 25 minutes during this year's Six Nations but a string of strong showings, notably in the summer tour against Argentina and the USA as Fin Smith and Marcus Smith had departed for Lions tour commitments, reestablished him strongly in the starting mix.

At 32 years old fully validated the coach's trust in starting him facing the Kiwis, plus the club standout delivered a player-of-the-match performance to assist England to their initial victory versus the Kiwis in their own stadium since 2012.

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

This assisted England overcome a 12-0 deficit to trail 12-11 when the half ended, prior to the coach's talented substitutes once more performed in the second half to help his side to a decisive 33-19 triumph.

"You have to give credit to the senior players on our squad, especially George," Borthwick told. "That period where he hit those drop-goals, he managed the game just incredibly.

"One year earlier I believed Ford substituted and competed very effectively [against New Zealand].

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

"He is a phenomenal leader, a brilliant player and an even better person. We are privileged to include him on our team."

Drop-kicks 'consistently planned'

New Zealand commenced strongly during the match, racing into a substantial early margin via touchdowns by Leicester Fainga'anuku and Codie Taylor.

After Lawrence's strong try, the fly-half's successive drop-kicks meant the hosts returned to the changing rooms with renewed energy.

"The tough part during those periods comes when the board shows 12-0, we must maintain to our strategy and our convictions the superior method to compete is," Ford stated.

"We got ourselves back into the game and we recognized should we begin the final period strongly, as reserves joined, we found ourselves in a good position.

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

"I think that's what elite competition requires - which team can handle during those situations the best."

Each effort occurred within close succession as Ford who executed three crucial kicks during a victory versus Argentina at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, displayed his complete international experience.

Ford hit two drop-goals for Sale during a Premiership match occurring during difficult conditions at Bath - it is a skill he has mastered thoroughly.

"It [the drop-goals] form part of our strategy," Ford added.

"The coach is such a phenomenal leader since he continually advising me, and correctly so as three points are crucial at any stage of competition."

Ford directed his team superbly around the field the complete contest, executing intelligent kicks - both to compete and identifying openings behind the visitors' backfield.

His trademark tactical bomb further confused Beauden Barrett, who failed to regather.

Following his start in the English victory over Australia during the autumn series, Ford relinquished the starting role to his replacement during the Fiji match the following week.

But the biggest test on paper this autumn was presented by the multiple World Cup winners, and Ford reclaimed his starting role.

The national side, now on a run of ten consecutive victories, play against Argentina in late November and curiosity remains to discover whether the coach returns to Fin Smith or continues with Ford.

Regardless of the selection, Ford proved ahead of the next tournament before the World Cup that significant amounts of play remaining within him.