Phenomenal Ford Crucial to Overcoming the Kiwis
The fly-half position went to Ford to start against New Zealand instead of the Smith alternatives.
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In November 2024, national team playmaker George Ford looked disheartened on the Allianz Stadium turf.
The replacement was brought on from the bench to support the hosts close out a memorable triumph facing the Kiwis, but instead was unable to score a crucial penalty plus a drop-goal attempt as England fell short 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.
He saw just 25 minutes of action throughout the Six Nations tournament but a string of strong showings, notably in the summer tour of Argentina and the United States while Fin Smith and Marcus Smith had departed for Lions tour commitments, returned him solidly in the starting mix.
The 32-year-old fully validated the coach's trust by selecting him versus New Zealand, and the Sharks star produced a man-of-the-match display to assist the home team to a breakthrough triumph over New Zealand in their own stadium since 2012.
The decisive instant in the game Ford successfully executed back-to-back drop-goals just before the break.
This enabled the English overcome a 12-0 deficit to reduce the margin to 12-11 by halftime, ahead of the manager's skilled reserves once more performed in the second half to support England to a decisive 33-19 victory.
"You have to give credit to the veteran members on our squad, notably George," Borthwick told. "That period as he scored those drop-goals, he managed the game just incredibly.
"Twelve months ago I believed Ford entered and performed exceptionally well [versus the All Blacks].
"One kick struck the post and he tried a drop-goal under pressure, yet he performed excellently.
"He's an exceptional captain, a brilliant player and an even better person. We are privileged to include him within our roster."
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Drop-kicks 'consistently planned'
Back in 2024, Ford's failed attempts in kicking were expensive as the team was defeated against the Kiwis - but it was a different story on Saturday.
New Zealand started quickly during the match, surging to a substantial early margin with tries by Leicester Fainga'anuku and Codie Taylor.
Subsequent to Ollie Lawrence's strong try, Ford's back-to-back drop-goals meant the hosts returned to the locker room with the momentum.
"The tough part at those times comes when the board shows a twelve-point deficit, we are able to adhere to our guns and our convictions the best way to perform is," Ford explained.
"We worked our way back into the game and we understood were we to commence the final period strongly, with the bench coming on, we would be in a good position.
"Despite having a quarter-hour remaining, we ended up on our own line following a card, meaning we faced difficulties in that instance too.
"I believe this illustrates elite competition requires - who manages best with those moments superiorly."
The two attempts came within a two-minute span as Ford who successfully converted three crucial kicks during a victory facing the Argentine team at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, demonstrated his full 104-cap experience.
Ford successfully executed two drop-kicks representing Sale during a Premiership match conducted in challenging weather against Bath - this demonstrates a talent he has extensively practiced.
"It [the drop-goals] is always in the plan," Ford continued.
"The coach is such a phenomenal leader that he consistently advising me, and rightly so as three points is valuable at any stage of the game."
Ford directed his team superbly across the pitch the complete contest, making smart decisions - both to compete and in finding space behind the visitors' backfield.
His characteristic 'spiral bomb' further confused Beauden Barrett, who mishandled the ball.
After beginning England's win versus the Wallabies during the autumn series, Ford handed over the starting role to Fin Smith during the Fiji match a week later.
But the biggest test theoretically this season was presented by the three-time world champions, with Ford regaining his starting role.
The national side, currently enjoying 10 straight wins, play against Argentina on 23 November and curiosity remains to determine if Borthwick goes back with the alternative or continues with Ford.
Whatever choice occurs, Ford demonstrated ahead of the next tournament from a World Cup that significant amounts of rugby left in him.
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