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

He was called upon as a substitute to assist England close out a memorable triumph against New Zealand, however failed to convert a crucial penalty and drop-goal as England were beaten by two points.

In the wake of those pivotal failures, Ford needed to put in effort to get another shot to bring victory for England.

His playing time was limited to 25 minutes during this year's Six Nations but a string of strong showings, particularly on the summer tour against Argentina and the USA as Fin Smith and Marcus Smith were absent for Lions team responsibilities, put him firmly back as a starting option.

The 32-year-old did more than justify the manager's confidence by selecting him against the All Blacks, and the Sharks star produced a man-of-the-match display to help the home team to a first win over New Zealand at home since 2012.

The pivotal moment in the game Ford converted consecutive drop-kicks just before the break.

This enabled the English recover from 12-0 down to narrow the gap to 12-11 when the half ended, ahead of the manager's skilled reserves once more performed in the second half to assist the team to a decisive 33-19 triumph.

"Credit must be given to the veteran members within our side, particularly Ford," the coach stated. "That period where he hit those drop-kicks, he managed the game just incredibly.

"One year earlier I believed Ford substituted and competed really well [versus the All Blacks].

"A kick hit the post and he had a pressured drop-kick, but he played really well.

"He's a tremendous guide, an outstanding athlete plus a better human being. We are honored to have him on our team."

Drop-goals 'part of the strategy'

The Kiwis commenced strongly in the stadium, surging to a 12-point lead via touchdowns by two key players.

After Lawrence's strong try, Ford's back-to-back three-pointers resulted in the home side bounced into the halftime break with the momentum.

"The tough part during those periods occurs as the display indicates a twelve-point deficit, we can stick to our guns and what we believe the best way to compete is," Ford stated.

"We fought our way back into it and we recognized if we started the latter half effectively, with the bench coming on, we found ourselves in a favorable situation.

"Although facing 15 minutes left, we were positioned near our try line after a penalty, so we had challenges there as well.

"In my opinion that represents Test rugby is - which team can handle with those moments most effectively."

Both kicks happened within a two-minute span as the fly-half who executed three drop-kicks in a win versus Argentina in the last global tournament, displayed his complete international experience.

Ford successfully executed two drop-goals for Sale in a Prem game occurring during tough circumstances at Bath - this demonstrates a talent he is well-practised in.

"These attempts is always in the plan," Ford continued.

"The coach is such a phenomenal leader that he consistently advising me, and correctly so since three points is valuable at any stage of play."

Ford directed his team superbly across the pitch the entire match, executing intelligent kicks - both to compete and locating gaps in the opposition's territory.

His characteristic 'spiral bomb' further confused the opposing fullback, who mishandled the ball.

After beginning the English victory over Australia during the autumn series, Ford handed over the starting role to his replacement for the Fiji victory the following week.

But the biggest test theoretically this season was presented by the multiple World Cup winners, and Ford reclaimed his position.

The national side, presently maintaining ten consecutive victories, face Argentina in late November and it will be interesting to discover if the manager opts to Fin Smith or maintains Ford.

Whichever decision is made, Ford established ahead of the next tournament before the World Cup that significant amounts of rugby left within him.