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During November 2024, English number 10 George Ford appeared disappointed at Allianz Stadium.

He was called upon from the bench to assist England complete a memorable triumph facing the Kiwis, however missed a late penalty along with a drop-kick as his side lost by two points.

In the wake of those pivotal failures, the player was required to strive to earn another opportunity to achieve success for the national side.

He saw just 25 minutes of action in the recent Six Nations however a series of strong showings, especially during the summer matches against Argentina and the USA when the Smith players were absent for British and Irish Lions duty, put him firmly back in the starting mix.

The veteran player not only repaid the manager's confidence by selecting him against the All Blacks, but the Sale Sharks playmaker produced a man-of-the-match display to assist England to a breakthrough triumph over New Zealand in their own stadium for the first time since 2012.

The decisive instant occurred as Ford converted back-to-back drop-goals just before the break.

It helped England recover from 12-0 down to trail 12-11 by halftime, ahead of the manager's skilled reserves repeatedly excelled during the final period to assist the team to a decisive 33-19 win.

"Credit must be given to the senior players within our side, notably George," the manager commented. "In that moment as he scored those drop-kicks, he controlled the match remarkably well.

"Twelve months ago I thought George came on and played really well [against New Zealand].

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

"He is a phenomenal leader, a superb performer plus a better human being. We are privileged to feature him in our squad."

Drop-goals 'part of the strategy'

The Kiwis started quickly in the stadium, surging to a substantial early margin through scores from two key players.

After Lawrence's impressive score, Ford's consecutive three-pointers ensured England returned to the halftime break with renewed energy.

"The tough part in those moments is, when the scoreboard says 12-0, we are able to adhere to our strategy and what we believe the optimal approach to play the game is," Ford stated.

"We got ourselves back into contention and we understood were we to commence the second half well, as reserves joined, we found ourselves in a favorable situation.

"Although facing 15 minutes left, we found ourselves near our try line following a card, so we had challenges in that instance too.

"In my opinion that represents elite competition requires - who can deal in those circumstances most effectively."

The two attempts occurred within close succession as Ford who successfully converted three drop-kicks during a victory versus Argentina at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, showed all his international experience.

Ford hit two drop-goals representing Sale in a league contest played in difficult conditions against Bath - it is a skill he has mastered thoroughly.

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

"Steve is such an incredible coach that he is always in my ear about it, and appropriately as three points is valuable throughout the match of the game."

Ford marshalled his team superbly throughout the match the entire match, making smart decisions - for both attacking and defensive purposes and in finding space in the opposition's territory.

His signature 'spiral bomb' further confused the New Zealand player, who couldn't collect.

After beginning the national team's triumph versus the Wallabies during the autumn series, Ford passed on the fly-half position to his replacement during the Fiji match a week later.

Yet the most significant examination in terms of difficulty was presented by the multiple World Cup winners, so Ford returned to his spot.

England, now on a run of 10 straight wins, play against Argentina in late November and it will be interesting to determine whether the coach returns for the younger Smith or persists with Ford.

Regardless of the selection, Ford proved two years away prior to global competition that significant amounts of career ahead for him.