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In November 2024, England fly-half Ford cut a dejected figure on the Allianz Stadium turf.

The replacement was brought on off the sidelines to assist England close out a famous win versus the All Blacks, however failed to convert a crucial penalty and drop-goal as England were beaten by a narrow margin.

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

He played only 25 minutes throughout the Six Nations tournament yet multiple strong showings, especially during the summer matches against Argentina and the USA while Fin Smith and Marcus Smith were absent for Lions tour commitments, reestablished him strongly among starting candidates.

At 32 years old did more than justify the coach's trust through his selection versus New Zealand, but the Sale Sharks playmaker produced a man-of-the-match display to support the hosts to a breakthrough triumph versus the Kiwis on home soil ending a drought dating to 2012.

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

This assisted England bounce back from being down 12-0 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 help his side to a decisive 33-19 win.

"Recognition should be offered to the veteran members within our side, particularly Ford," Borthwick told. "During that phase as he scored those drop-kicks, he directed play just incredibly.

"Last year I believed Ford came on and played very effectively [facing the Kiwis].

"One kick struck the post and he had a drop-goal under pressure, yet he performed excellently.

"He's an exceptional captain, a brilliant player and an even better person. We are fortunate to feature him on our team."

Drop-goals 'always in the plan'

The All Blacks started quickly during the match, surging to a substantial early margin via touchdowns by Fainga'anuku and Taylor.

Following Ollie Lawrence's powerful finish, Ford's consecutive three-pointers resulted in the home side bounced into the changing rooms with renewed energy.

"The difficult aspect in those moments comes when the board shows 12-0, we can stick to our strategy and our convictions the optimal approach to compete is," Ford said.

"We fought our way back into contention and we understood should we begin the final period strongly, with substitutes entering, we were in a favorable situation.

"Although facing a quarter-hour remaining, we ended up defending our goal line with a yellow card, thus we encountered obstacles in that instance too.

"I believe this illustrates elite competition requires - which team can handle with those moments the best."

Each effort came within close succession as the fly-half who nailed three crucial kicks in a win against Argentina during the 2023 World Cup, showed all his century of caps experience.

Ford hit two three-pointers with Sale in a Prem game conducted in challenging weather versus Bath - this represents an ability he is well-practised in.

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

"Borthwick represents a phenomenal leader that he consistently in my ear about it, and rightly so as three points prove important during any phase of play."

Ford guided his side brilliantly throughout the match the entire match, making smart decisions - both in contestable situations and identifying openings against the defensive line.

His trademark high spiral kick additionally troubled Beauden Barrett, who failed to regather.

Following his start in the national team's triumph versus the Wallabies in early November, Ford relinquished the starting role to Fin Smith against Fiji the following week.

But the biggest test on paper this autumn occurred versus the experienced New Zealand team, with Ford regaining his starting role.

England, presently maintaining 10 straight wins, face Argentina on 23 November and curiosity remains to learn if Borthwick goes back with the alternative or maintains Ford.

Whatever choice occurs, Ford proved ahead of the next tournament from a World Cup that there is plenty of play remaining in him.