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During November 2024, national team playmaker Ford appeared disappointed on the Allianz Stadium turf.

He was called upon from the bench to help England complete a famous win facing the Kiwis, but instead missed a decisive kick along with a drop-kick while his team fell short by a narrow margin.

Following those costly misses, Ford had to work hard to secure another chance to bring victory for the national side.

His playing time was limited to 25 minutes during this year's Six Nations but a string of strong showings, particularly on the summer matches versus Argentine and American teams when the Smith players were absent for Lions team responsibilities, reestablished him strongly in the starting mix.

The 32-year-old not only repaid Steve Borthwick's faith in starting him against the All Blacks, plus the club standout achieved a best-player showing to help the hosts to their initial victory against the All Blacks at home ending a drought dating to 2012.

The decisive instant occurred as Ford converted consecutive drop-kicks just before the break.

This enabled the English recover from 12-0 down to trail 12-11 when the half ended, before Borthwick's star-studded bench again delivered in the second half to support England to a convincing 33-19 victory.

"You have to give credit to the experienced players in our team, notably George," Borthwick told. "In that moment where he hit those drop-kicks, he managed the game absolutely brilliantly.

"One year earlier In my view George entered and performed very effectively [facing the Kiwis].

"A kick hit the post and he had a difficult drop-goal, however his play was outstanding.

"He's an exceptional captain, a brilliant player and an even better person. We are privileged to have him on our team."

Drop-goals 'always in the plan'

New Zealand started quickly during the match, racing into a twelve-point advantage via touchdowns by Leicester Fainga'anuku and Codie Taylor.

After Lawrence's strong try, Ford's back-to-back drop-goals meant the hosts bounced into the changing rooms with psychological advantage.

"The tough part in those moments occurs as the display indicates 12-0, we must maintain to our strategy and our philosophy the best way to perform is," Ford stated.

"We fought our way back into the game and we knew if we started the latter half effectively, with substitutes entering, we were in a good position.

"Although facing a quarter-hour remaining, we ended up near our try line after a penalty, thus we encountered obstacles there as well.

"I think that's what Test rugby is - who can deal with those moments most effectively."

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

Ford successfully executed two drop-goals for Sale in a Prem game played in challenging weather versus Bath - it is a skill he has mastered thoroughly.

"These attempts form part of our strategy," Ford added.

"The coach is such an incredible coach that he consistently reminding me, and correctly so because three points prove important throughout the match of competition."

Ford marshalled England excellently throughout the match all game, making smart decisions - both to compete and locating gaps against the defensive line.

His trademark tactical bomb further confused the opposing fullback, who mishandled the ball.

Following his start in the English victory versus the Wallabies during the autumn series, Ford handed over the starting role to the younger Smith against Fiji a week later.

But the biggest test in terms of difficulty came against the three-time world champions, with Ford regaining his starting role.

The national side, presently maintaining ten consecutive victories, meet Argentina on 23 November creating intrigue to discover if the manager opts with the alternative or maintains Ford.

Regardless of the selection, Ford demonstrated ahead of the next tournament from a World Cup that there is plenty of career ahead within him.