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During November 2024, England fly-half Ford looked disheartened at Allianz Stadium.

Ford had been summoned as a substitute to help the home side close out a memorable triumph versus the All Blacks, however missed a late penalty plus a drop-goal attempt as England fell short in a close contest.

In the wake of those pivotal failures, Ford needed to put in effort to secure another chance to achieve success for England.

His playing time was limited to 25 minutes throughout the Six Nations tournament but a string of impressive performances, particularly on the summer matches versus Argentine and American teams while Fin Smith and Marcus Smith were away on Lions tour commitments, reestablished him strongly among starting candidates.

The 32-year-old did more than justify Steve Borthwick's faith in starting him against the All Blacks, plus the club standout delivered a player-of-the-match performance to help England to their initial victory versus the Kiwis at home for the first time since 2012.

The pivotal moment occurred as Ford converted two drop-goals in succession immediately preceding halftime.

This assisted England bounce back from being down 12-0 to trail 12-11 by halftime, ahead of the manager's skilled reserves again delivered after halftime to help his side to a decisive 33-19 victory.

"You have to give credit to the experienced players on our squad, notably George," the manager commented. "During that phase where he hit those drop-goals, he directed play absolutely brilliantly.

"One year earlier I thought George substituted and competed very effectively [versus the All Blacks].

"A attempt hit the upright and he had a pressured drop-kick, yet he performed excellently.

"He's a tremendous guide, an outstanding athlete and an even better person. We are honored to feature him in our squad."

Drop-goals 'part of the strategy'

The Kiwis began rapidly at Allianz Stadium, building a substantial early margin via touchdowns by Leicester Fainga'anuku and Codie Taylor.

Following Ollie Lawrence's powerful finish, Ford's consecutive drop-goals meant the hosts bounced into the halftime break with psychological advantage.

"The difficult aspect during those periods is, when the scoreboard says twelve to zero, we must maintain to our plan and what we believe the superior method to play the game is," Ford explained.

"We fought our way back into the game and we recognized should we begin the second half well, as reserves joined, we would be in a favorable situation.

"Even with 15 minutes left, we ended up defending our goal line following a card, so we had challenges in that instance too.

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

The two attempts occurred within close succession while the number 10 who executed three crucial kicks during a victory against Argentina at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, demonstrated his full international experience.

Ford hit two drop-goals with Sale in a league contest played in challenging weather at Bath - it is a skill he has extensively practiced.

"The drop-kicks is always in the plan," Ford stated further.

"Borthwick represents an incredible coach since he continually in my ear about it, and appropriately since three points are crucial during any phase of play."

Ford directed England excellently throughout the match all game, making smart decisions - for both attacking and defensive purposes and locating gaps in the opposition's territory.

His trademark tactical bomb additionally troubled Beauden Barrett, who failed to regather.

Following his start in England's win versus the Wallabies on 1 November, Ford passed on the number 10 jersey to Fin Smith for the Fiji victory the following week.

But the biggest test in terms of difficulty was presented by the experienced New Zealand team, so Ford returned to his position.

The national side, presently maintaining an unbeaten streak of ten, play against Argentina on 23 November creating intrigue to learn if Borthwick goes back for the younger Smith or continues with Ford.

Whatever choice occurs, Ford proved with two years remaining prior to global competition that there is plenty of career ahead in him.