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

He was called upon off the sidelines to help the home side close out a memorable triumph against New Zealand, however was unable to score a late penalty and drop-goal as England lost in a close contest.

After those expensive errors, Ford needed to put in effort to earn another opportunity at delivering glory to the English team.

He saw just 25 minutes of action throughout the Six Nations tournament yet multiple strong showings, particularly on the summer matches against Argentina and the USA while Fin Smith and Marcus Smith had departed for Lions team responsibilities, put him firmly back as a starting option.

The veteran player not only repaid Steve Borthwick's faith in starting him versus New Zealand, and the Sharks star delivered a player-of-the-match performance to support the home team to their initial victory versus the Kiwis in their own stadium for the first time since 2012.

The crucial point occurred as Ford nailed two drop-goals in succession immediately preceding halftime.

This assisted England recover from 12-0 down to narrow the gap to 12-11 at the break, ahead of the manager's skilled reserves again delivered after halftime to support England to a decisive 33-19 triumph.

"You have to give credit to the veteran members within our side, especially George," the coach stated. "In that moment when he converted those drop-kicks, he directed play remarkably well.

"One year earlier I thought George came on and played really well [against New Zealand].

"A kick hit the post while he attempted a pressured drop-kick, however his play was outstanding.

"He is a phenomenal leader, a brilliant player and an even finer individual. We are honored to have him on our team."

Drop-goals 'part of the strategy'

The Kiwis commenced strongly at Allianz Stadium, building a 12-point lead through scores from Leicester Fainga'anuku and Codie Taylor.

After Lawrence's powerful finish, Ford's back-to-back three-pointers ensured England bounced into the changing rooms with psychological advantage.

"The challenging thing in those moments is, when the scoreboard says a twelve-point deficit, we are able to adhere to our guns and what we believe the optimal approach to perform is," Ford stated.

"We worked our way back into it and we knew were we to commence the latter half effectively, with the bench coming on, we found ourselves in a favorable situation.

"Despite having fifteen minutes to go, we ended up near our try line after a penalty, thus we encountered obstacles in that instance too.

"I believe this illustrates Test rugby is - who can deal during those situations most effectively."

The two attempts came within a two-minute span while the number 10 who nailed three crucial kicks in a successful match versus Argentina during the 2023 World Cup, displayed his complete international experience.

Ford converted two three-pointers for Sale during a Premiership match occurring during challenging weather versus Bath - this demonstrates a talent he has mastered thoroughly.

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

"The coach is such a phenomenal leader that he consistently in my ear about it, and rightly so since three points prove important at any stage of competition."

Ford directed his team superbly around the field all game, kicking smartly - for both attacking and defensive purposes and identifying openings against the defensive line.

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

Having started the national team's triumph over Australia on 1 November, Ford passed on the fly-half position to Fin Smith against Fiji a week later.

Yet the most significant examination in terms of difficulty occurred versus the multiple World Cup winners, with Ford regaining his position.

England, presently maintaining 10 straight wins, play against Argentina in late November and it will be interesting to learn if Borthwick goes back for the younger Smith or continues with Ford.

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