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In November 2024, English number 10 Ford cut a dejected figure on the Allianz Stadium turf.

Ford had been summoned off the sidelines to assist the home side close out a memorable triumph against New Zealand, but instead was unable to score a late penalty plus a drop-goal attempt as England lost in a close contest.

In the wake of those pivotal failures, Ford needed to put in effort to earn another opportunity at delivering glory for the national side.

He played only 25 minutes during this year's Six Nations however a series of excellent displays, especially during the summer tour of Argentina and the United States as Fin Smith and Marcus Smith had departed for British and Irish Lions duty, returned him solidly as a starting option.

The veteran player did more than justify Steve Borthwick's faith by selecting him against the All Blacks, but the Sale Sharks playmaker produced a man-of-the-match display to help the hosts to their initial victory against the All Blacks at home since 2012.

The decisive instant came when Ford converted back-to-back drop-goals just before the break.

This assisted England bounce back from being down 12-0 to reduce the margin to 12-11 when the half ended, prior to the coach's talented substitutes once more performed during the final period to support England to a comfortable 33-19 win.

"Recognition should be offered to the experienced players in our team, especially George," Borthwick told. "That period as he scored those drop-kicks, he managed the game absolutely brilliantly.

"Last year In my view George substituted and competed exceptionally well [versus the All Blacks].

"A attempt hit the upright and he had a drop-goal under pressure, yet he performed excellently.

"He's an exceptional captain, a brilliant player and an even finer individual. We are privileged to feature him on our team."

Drop-goals 'part of the strategy'

The Kiwis started quickly during the match, racing into a 12-point lead through scores from two key players.

After Lawrence's powerful finish, the fly-half's successive three-pointers meant the hosts bounced into the changing rooms with psychological advantage.

"The difficult aspect at those times comes when the board shows 12-0, we are able to adhere to our strategy and what we believe the superior method to compete is," Ford said.

"We fought our way back into it and we understood should we begin the latter half effectively, with the bench coming on, we were in a good position.

"Although facing 15 minutes left, we were positioned defending our goal line with a yellow card, meaning we faced difficulties there as well.

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

The two attempts came within a two-minute span as the fly-half who successfully converted three drop-goals in a win against Argentina during the 2023 World Cup, displayed his complete century of caps experience.

Ford converted two drop-goals for Sale in a league contest conducted in difficult conditions 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 incredible coach that he is always reminding me, and rightly so because three points are crucial at any stage of competition."

Ford marshalled his team superbly around the field the complete contest, making smart decisions - both to compete and locating gaps behind the visitors' backfield.

His signature tactical bomb further confused the opposing fullback, who couldn't collect.

Following his start in the national team's triumph over Australia on 1 November, Ford handed over the starting role to Fin Smith against Fiji a week later.

But the biggest test on paper this autumn was presented by the experienced New Zealand team, and Ford reclaimed his starting role.

England, currently enjoying 10 straight wins, play against Argentina this month and curiosity remains to discover if Borthwick goes back with the alternative or continues with Ford.

Whichever decision is made, Ford demonstrated two years away prior to global competition that there is plenty of rugby left for him.