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In November 2024, English number 10 George Ford looked disheartened during the match.

He was called upon as a substitute to support the home side secure a famous win facing the Kiwis, yet failed to convert a decisive kick and drop-goal as England were beaten by two points.

After those expensive errors, the player was required to strive to get another shot to achieve success for the national side.

He saw just 25 minutes of action during this year's Six Nations but a string of strong showings, notably in the summer matches versus Argentine and American teams as Fin Smith and Marcus Smith had departed for Lions team responsibilities, returned him solidly in the starting mix.

The 32-year-old did more than justify the manager's confidence by selecting him against the All Blacks, plus the club standout achieved a best-player showing to support the home team to a first win versus the Kiwis in their own stadium since 2012.

The pivotal moment occurred as Ford successfully executed back-to-back drop-goals immediately preceding halftime.

This assisted England recover from 12-0 down to reduce the margin to 12-11 when the half ended, before Borthwick's star-studded bench again delivered after halftime to support England to a comfortable 33-19 triumph.

"Recognition should be offered to the senior players in our team, notably George," Borthwick told. "During that phase when he converted those crucial kicks, he managed the game just incredibly.

"Last year I believed Ford substituted and competed exceptionally well [against New Zealand].

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

"He is a phenomenal leader, an outstanding athlete plus a better human being. We are fortunate to feature him on our team."

Drop-goals 'always in the plan'

The Kiwis started quickly at Allianz Stadium, racing into a twelve-point advantage via touchdowns by Fainga'anuku and Taylor.

Subsequent to Ollie Lawrence's powerful finish, Ford's consecutive three-pointers meant the hosts entered the halftime break with renewed energy.

"The tough part at those times is, when the scoreboard says twelve to zero, we can stick to our strategy and what we believe the optimal approach to perform is," Ford said.

"We worked our way back into contention and we understood should we begin the final period strongly, with the bench coming on, we were in a favorable situation.

"Even with 15 minutes left, we ended up defending our goal line following a card, so we had challenges during that phase also.

"In my opinion that represents elite competition requires - which team can handle during those situations most effectively."

Both kicks happened within a two-minute span as the fly-half who nailed three crucial kicks in a successful match facing the Argentine team in the last global tournament, displayed his complete international experience.

Ford successfully executed two drop-kicks with Sale in a league contest played in tough circumstances versus Bath - it is a skill he is well-practised in.

"These attempts are consistently planned," Ford continued.

"Borthwick represents a phenomenal leader that he is always reminding me, and correctly so since three points prove important throughout the match of play."

Ford directed his side brilliantly across the pitch the entire match, making smart decisions - both in contestable situations and in finding space behind the visitors' backfield.

His trademark tactical bomb also bamboozled the New Zealand player, who mishandled the ball.

Having started the English victory versus the Wallabies during the autumn series, Ford passed on the number 10 jersey to his replacement during the Fiji match a week later.

But the biggest test in terms of difficulty was presented by the experienced New Zealand team, with Ford regaining his spot.

The national side, now on a run of an unbeaten streak of ten, face Argentina on 23 November and curiosity remains to learn if Borthwick goes back for the younger Smith or maintains Ford.

Whichever decision is made, Ford proved with two years remaining prior to global competition that significant amounts of rugby left for him.