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In November 2024, English number 10 Ford appeared disappointed on the Allianz Stadium turf.

He was called upon from the bench to help England secure a memorable triumph facing the Kiwis, however was unable to score a late penalty and drop-goal while his team were beaten by a narrow margin.

In the wake of those pivotal failures, Ford had to work hard to get another shot to bring victory for England.

His playing time was limited to 25 minutes in the recent Six Nations however a series of impressive performances, notably in the summer matches of Argentina and the United States as Fin Smith and Marcus Smith had departed for British and Irish Lions duty, reestablished him strongly among starting candidates.

At 32 years old fully validated the coach's trust through his selection against the All Blacks, and the Sharks star produced a man-of-the-match display to help England to a breakthrough triumph against the All Blacks in their own stadium since 2012.

The pivotal moment occurred as Ford nailed consecutive drop-kicks immediately preceding halftime.

It helped England recover from 12-0 down to reduce the margin to 12-11 when the half ended, ahead of the manager's skilled reserves again delivered during the final period to assist the team to a convincing 33-19 win.

"Credit must be given to the veteran members on our squad, notably George," the manager commented. "In that moment when he converted those crucial kicks, he directed play remarkably well.

"One year earlier In my view George came on and played really well [versus the All Blacks].

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

"He's an exceptional captain, an outstanding athlete plus a better human being. We are honored to include him within our roster."

Drop-goals 'part of the strategy'

New Zealand commenced strongly during the match, surging to a twelve-point advantage with tries by Fainga'anuku and Taylor.

Subsequent to Ollie Lawrence's powerful finish, Ford's consecutive drop-goals resulted in the home side returned to the locker room with psychological advantage.

"The challenging thing during those periods occurs as the display indicates twelve to zero, we can stick to our plan and our philosophy the best way to compete is," Ford said.

"We worked our way back into the game and we knew were we to commence the latter half effectively, with the bench coming on, we found ourselves in an advantageous spot.

"Despite having a quarter-hour remaining, we were positioned on our own line with a yellow card, so we had challenges there as well.

"I believe this illustrates elite competition requires - who can deal during those situations most effectively."

Each effort occurred within a two-minute span as Ford who executed three crucial kicks during a victory facing the Argentine team during the 2023 World Cup, demonstrated his full century of caps experience.

Ford hit two three-pointers representing Sale during a Premiership match conducted in challenging weather versus Bath - this demonstrates a talent he has mastered thoroughly.

"The drop-kicks form part of our strategy," Ford added.

"The coach is such an outstanding manager since he continually advising me, and appropriately because three points are crucial during any phase of the game."

Ford marshalled his side brilliantly throughout the match the entire match, kicking smartly - both to compete and identifying openings behind the visitors' backfield.

His trademark 'spiral bomb' also bamboozled Beauden Barrett, who failed to regather.

Following his start in the English victory versus the Wallabies on 1 November, Ford handed over the fly-half position to his replacement against Fiji seven days later.

But the biggest test theoretically this season was presented by the three-time world champions, so Ford returned to his spot.

England, currently enjoying 10 straight wins, face Argentina on 23 November creating intrigue to learn if Borthwick goes back with the alternative or continues with Ford.

Regardless of the selection, Ford proved ahead of the next tournament before the World Cup that significant amounts of career ahead in him.