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In November 2024, England fly-half Ford appeared disappointed during the match.

The replacement was brought on as a substitute to assist England close out a famous win versus the All Blacks, however failed to convert a late penalty along with a drop-kick while his team lost in a close contest.

After those expensive errors, the player was required to strive to earn another opportunity to bring victory for the national side.

He played only 25 minutes in the recent Six Nations but a string of impressive performances, notably in the warm-weather tour against Argentina and the USA as Fin Smith and Marcus Smith had departed for Lions team responsibilities, returned him solidly as a starting option.

The 32-year-old fully validated Steve Borthwick's faith through his selection against the All Blacks, plus the club standout delivered a player-of-the-match performance to assist England to their initial victory against the All Blacks in their own stadium ending a drought dating to 2012.

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

It helped 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 during the final period to assist the team to a decisive 33-19 win.

"Recognition should be offered to the experienced players within our side, particularly Ford," the coach stated. "That period when he converted those crucial kicks, he directed play absolutely brilliantly.

"One year earlier I believed Ford entered and performed very effectively [facing the Kiwis].

"A attempt hit the upright and he tried a pressured drop-kick, however his play was outstanding.

"He's an exceptional captain, a brilliant player and an even better person. We are honored to have him within our roster."

Drop-goals 'part of the strategy'

The All Blacks started quickly at Allianz Stadium, racing into a 12-point lead via touchdowns by Leicester Fainga'anuku and Codie Taylor.

Following Ollie Lawrence's powerful finish, the fly-half's successive drop-kicks meant the hosts bounced into the halftime break with psychological advantage.

"The difficult aspect at those times is, when the scoreboard says 12-0, we must maintain to our strategy and what we believe the superior method to play the game is," Ford stated.

"We got ourselves back into contention and we recognized if we started the second half well, with substitutes entering, we would be in a favorable situation.

"Although facing fifteen minutes to go, we found ourselves on our own line following a card, meaning we faced difficulties during that phase also.

"I think that's what elite competition requires - who can deal during those situations the best."

The two attempts came within a two-minute span as the fly-half who nailed three drop-kicks during a victory against Argentina at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, demonstrated his full 104-cap experience.

Ford hit two three-pointers for Sale in a Prem game played in difficult conditions against Bath - this represents an ability he is well-practised in.

"It [the drop-goals] are consistently planned," Ford added.

"The coach is such a phenomenal leader that he is always in my ear about it, and appropriately because three points is valuable at any stage of competition."

Ford marshalled his side brilliantly across the pitch the entire match, executing intelligent kicks - both in contestable situations and in finding space behind the visitors' backfield.

His characteristic 'spiral bomb' further confused Beauden Barrett, who couldn't collect.

Following his start in the national team's triumph over Australia in early November, Ford passed on the number 10 jersey to his replacement during the Fiji match a week later.

However the greatest challenge in terms of difficulty came against the three-time world champions, with Ford regaining his starting role.

The English team, now on a run of an unbeaten streak of ten, face Argentina this month and curiosity remains to learn if the manager opts with the alternative or persists with Ford.

Regardless of the selection, Ford demonstrated ahead of the next tournament prior to global competition that there is plenty of career ahead for him.