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During November 2024, England fly-half George Ford cut a dejected figure during the match.

He was called upon off the sidelines to assist the hosts close out a famous win versus the All Blacks, however failed to convert a decisive kick along with a drop-kick as his side lost by a narrow margin.

After those expensive errors, Ford needed to put in effort to get another shot to bring victory for England.

He saw just 25 minutes of action throughout the Six Nations tournament but a string of strong showings, especially during the warm-weather tour of Argentina and the United States as Fin Smith and Marcus Smith were away on Lions tour commitments, put him firmly back as a starting option.

The veteran player did more than justify the manager's confidence in starting him facing the Kiwis, and the Sharks star delivered a player-of-the-match performance to support the hosts to their initial victory versus the Kiwis in their own stadium for the first time since 2012.

The crucial point occurred as Ford converted back-to-back drop-goals immediately preceding halftime.

This assisted England overcome a 12-0 deficit to narrow the gap to 12-11 at the break, prior to the coach's talented substitutes once more performed in the second half to support England to a decisive 33-19 triumph.

"Credit must be given to the senior players within our side, notably George," Borthwick told. "That period as he scored those drop-kicks, he managed the game just incredibly.

"One year earlier I believed Ford came on and played exceptionally well [against New Zealand].

"One kick struck the post while he attempted a difficult drop-goal, however his play was outstanding.

"He's an exceptional captain, an outstanding athlete and an even finer individual. We are fortunate to have him on our team."

Drop-goals 'part of the strategy'

The Kiwis commenced strongly during the match, building a 12-point lead with tries by Fainga'anuku and Taylor.

Following Ollie Lawrence's powerful finish, Ford's consecutive drop-kicks ensured England bounced into 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 our convictions the optimal approach to perform is," Ford explained.

"We worked our way back into contention and we knew should we begin the second half well, with substitutes entering, we were in a good position.

"Although facing a quarter-hour remaining, we were positioned on our own line after a penalty, thus we encountered obstacles during that phase also.

"I believe this illustrates Test rugby is - who manages best during those situations the best."

The two attempts occurred within close succession while the number 10 who successfully converted three drop-kicks in a win against Argentina during the 2023 World Cup, displayed his complete 104-cap experience.

Ford hit two drop-kicks with Sale in a Prem game played in challenging weather at Bath - this demonstrates a talent he has extensively practiced.

"It [the drop-goals] form part of our strategy," Ford continued.

"Borthwick represents an incredible coach that he is always in my ear about it, and rightly so as three points prove important at any stage of the game."

Ford marshalled his team superbly across the pitch all game, making smart decisions - for both attacking and defensive purposes and identifying openings behind the visitors' backfield.

His characteristic 'spiral bomb' further confused the New Zealand player, who failed to regather.

Having started England's win versus the Wallabies on 1 November, Ford handed over the starting role to his replacement for the Fiji victory the following week.

However the greatest challenge in terms of difficulty was presented by the multiple World Cup winners, with Ford regaining his starting role.

The national side, now on a run of 10 straight wins, play against Argentina on 23 November and curiosity remains to determine if Borthwick goes back to Fin Smith or continues with Ford.

Whatever choice occurs, Ford demonstrated two years away prior to global competition that there is plenty of rugby left in him.