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During November 2024, national team playmaker Ford looked disheartened at Allianz Stadium.

The replacement was brought on from the bench to assist the hosts complete a memorable triumph facing the Kiwis, yet was unable to score a decisive kick and drop-goal as England fell short by two points.

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

His playing time was limited to 25 minutes throughout the Six Nations tournament but a string of strong showings, particularly on the summer matches versus Argentine and American teams as Fin Smith and Marcus Smith were absent for British and Irish Lions duty, returned him solidly as a starting option.

The veteran player fully validated the manager's confidence in starting him versus New Zealand, and the Sharks star delivered a player-of-the-match performance to support the hosts to a breakthrough triumph over New Zealand on home soil since 2012.

The crucial point occurred as Ford successfully executed consecutive drop-kicks immediately preceding halftime.

It helped England bounce back from being down 12-0 to narrow the gap to 12-11 by halftime, before Borthwick's star-studded bench once more performed in the second half to help his side to a decisive 33-19 triumph.

"Credit must be given to the veteran members on our squad, especially George," Borthwick told. "During that phase as he scored those crucial kicks, he directed play remarkably well.

"One year earlier I believed Ford entered and performed very effectively [versus the All Blacks].

"One kick struck the post while he attempted a difficult drop-goal, but he played really well.

"He is a phenomenal leader, a superb performer plus a better human being. We are fortunate to have him within our roster."

Drop-goals 'part of the strategy'

The All Blacks commenced strongly at Allianz Stadium, racing into a twelve-point advantage through scores from two key players.

Following Ollie Lawrence's powerful finish, the fly-half's successive three-pointers ensured England bounced into the halftime break with renewed energy.

"The tough part at those times comes when the board shows a twelve-point deficit, we can stick to our guns and our convictions the superior method to play the game is," Ford explained.

"We fought our way back into contention and we knew if we started the latter half effectively, as reserves joined, we were in an advantageous spot.

"Although facing 15 minutes left, we were positioned on our own line following a card, meaning we faced difficulties in that instance too.

"In my opinion that represents elite competition requires - which team can handle in those circumstances most effectively."

Both kicks occurred within two minutes of each other as the fly-half who successfully converted three drop-goals in a win versus Argentina in the last global tournament, showed all his century of caps experience.

Ford successfully executed two drop-kicks for Sale during a Premiership match played in challenging weather against Bath - this represents an ability he has mastered thoroughly.

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

"The coach is such a phenomenal leader that he is always reminding me, and correctly so because three points prove important throughout the match of competition."

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

His trademark tactical bomb also bamboozled the opposing fullback, who couldn't collect.

After beginning England's win over Australia during the autumn series, Ford relinquished the number 10 jersey to Fin Smith during the Fiji match seven days later.

However the greatest challenge theoretically this season was presented by the three-time world champions, with Ford regaining his starting role.

England, currently enjoying 10 straight wins, meet Argentina in late November and curiosity remains to learn if Borthwick goes back for the younger Smith or continues with Ford.

Whichever decision is made, Ford established with two years remaining prior to global competition that there is plenty of play remaining in him.