Outstanding Ford Crucial to Beating New Zealand
George Ford was selected to open versus the All Blacks over Fin Smith and Marcus Smith.
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In November 2024, national team playmaker Ford appeared disappointed during the match.
The replacement was brought on from the bench to help the hosts complete a memorable triumph versus the All Blacks, yet missed a late penalty and drop-goal as England lost by two points.
Following those costly misses, Ford had to work hard to earn another opportunity at delivering glory to the English team.
His playing time was limited to 25 minutes in the recent Six Nations but a string of excellent displays, particularly on the summer tour against Argentina and the USA as Fin Smith and Marcus Smith had departed for Lions tour commitments, reestablished him strongly as a starting option.
At 32 years old did more than justify the manager's confidence in starting him against the All Blacks, plus the club standout delivered a player-of-the-match performance to assist England to their initial victory over New Zealand in their own stadium ending a drought dating to 2012.
The pivotal moment came when Ford converted back-to-back drop-goals just before the break.
It helped England recover from 12-0 down to reduce the margin to 12-11 when the half ended, before Borthwick's star-studded bench once more performed after halftime to assist the team to a convincing 33-19 victory.
"Credit must be given to the senior players in our team, especially George," 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 [facing the Kiwis].
"A kick hit the post and he had a pressured drop-kick, however his play was outstanding.
"He is a phenomenal leader, a superb performer and an even better person. We are fortunate to have him within our roster."
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Drop-goals 'always in the plan'
In 2024, Ford's failed attempts in kicking came at a price as the team was defeated to New Zealand - however it proved an alternate outcome during the match.
New Zealand began rapidly in the stadium, building a twelve-point advantage via touchdowns by Leicester Fainga'anuku and Codie Taylor.
Following Ollie Lawrence's impressive score, Ford's back-to-back three-pointers resulted in the home side entered the changing rooms with renewed energy.
"The challenging thing during those periods is, when the scoreboard says 12-0, we are able to adhere to our strategy and our convictions the best way to play the game is," Ford stated.
"We worked our way back into contention and we recognized should we begin the latter half effectively, as reserves joined, we found ourselves in a good position.
"Despite having a quarter-hour remaining, we were positioned on our own line after a penalty, meaning we faced difficulties in that instance too.
"I believe this illustrates international rugby involves - which team can handle with those moments superiorly."
The two attempts came within close succession while the number 10 who successfully converted three crucial kicks in a win against Argentina in the last global tournament, displayed his complete international experience.
Ford converted two three-pointers with Sale in a Prem game played in challenging weather versus Bath - this demonstrates a talent he is well-practised in.
"It [the drop-goals] is always in the plan," Ford continued.
"Steve is such an incredible coach that he is always advising me, and correctly so since three points prove important at any stage of the game."
Ford guided England excellently across the pitch all game, executing intelligent kicks - for both attacking and defensive purposes and locating gaps against the defensive line.
His trademark tactical bomb also bamboozled the New Zealand player, who couldn't collect.
Following his start in England's win over Australia in early November, Ford handed over the number 10 jersey to Fin Smith against Fiji a week later.
However the greatest challenge in terms of difficulty was presented by the three-time world champions, so Ford returned to his starting role.
The national side, presently maintaining an unbeaten streak of ten, meet Argentina on 23 November and curiosity remains to learn whether the coach returns to Fin Smith or persists with Ford.
Whatever choice occurs, Ford established two years away from a World Cup that significant amounts of play remaining within him.
Associated subjects
- National Team
- Rugby Union
