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In November 2024, England fly-half George Ford appeared disappointed on the Allianz Stadium turf.

He was called upon off the sidelines to help the hosts close out a famous win against New Zealand, but instead missed a late penalty along with a drop-kick while his team fell short by two points.

Following those costly misses, Ford had to work hard to get another shot to achieve success for England.

He saw just 25 minutes of action throughout the Six Nations tournament however a series of impressive performances, especially during the summer tour against Argentina and the USA while Fin Smith and Marcus Smith were away on Lions tour commitments, put him firmly back as a starting option.

At 32 years old fully validated the manager's confidence by selecting him facing the Kiwis, plus the club standout achieved a best-player showing to support the home team to a breakthrough triumph over New Zealand on home soil for the first time since 2012.

The crucial point in the game Ford successfully executed two drop-goals in succession right before half-time.

It helped England bounce back from being down 12-0 to narrow the gap to 12-11 by halftime, prior to the coach's talented substitutes again delivered in the second half to assist the team to a convincing 33-19 triumph.

"Credit must be given to the veteran members on our squad, particularly Ford," the coach stated. "In that moment when he converted those drop-goals, he managed the game just incredibly.

"Last year I thought George substituted and competed exceptionally well [versus the All Blacks].

"One kick struck the post and he had a difficult drop-goal, yet he performed excellently.

"He's an exceptional captain, an outstanding athlete and an even better person. We are honored to have him in our squad."

Drop-goals 'part of the strategy'

New Zealand commenced strongly at Allianz Stadium, racing into a twelve-point advantage via touchdowns by two key players.

Subsequent to Ollie Lawrence's powerful finish, Ford's consecutive drop-goals meant the hosts entered the halftime break with psychological advantage.

"The difficult aspect during those periods comes when the board shows 12-0, we must maintain to our plan and what we believe the optimal approach to perform is," Ford stated.

"We worked our way back into the game and we recognized were we to commence the latter half effectively, as reserves joined, we would be in an advantageous spot.

"Despite having fifteen minutes to go, we ended up near our try line after a penalty, meaning we faced difficulties in that instance too.

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

The two attempts came within a two-minute span as Ford who successfully converted three drop-kicks in a successful match versus Argentina at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, showed all his century of caps experience.

Ford hit two three-pointers representing Sale in a Prem game played in challenging weather against Bath - it is a skill he has mastered thoroughly.

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

"The coach is such an outstanding manager that he is always advising me, and correctly so because three points are crucial during any phase of the game."

Ford marshalled England excellently around the field the complete contest, making smart decisions - for both attacking and defensive purposes and identifying openings in the opposition's territory.

His characteristic tactical bomb further confused the New Zealand player, who couldn't collect.

Having started the national team's triumph against Australia in early November, 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 came against the experienced New Zealand team, and Ford reclaimed his spot.

England, now on a run of 10 straight wins, meet Argentina in late November creating intrigue to discover if the manager opts to Fin Smith or continues with Ford.

Regardless of the selection, Ford demonstrated ahead of the next tournament before the World Cup that ample opportunity of play remaining within him.