George Ford hailed Steve Borthwick as the greatest coach he has played under after helping deliver the biggest victory of his three-year tenure in charge of England.
England’s 2024 autumn campaign was defined by late collapses and near misses, none more bitter than the 24-22 defeat to New Zealand, when victory slipped through their fingers after Ford’s late missed penalty and drop-goal.
Twelve months on, Ford exorcised those demons, silencing those questioning his suitability as England’s fly-half with an inspired display that propelled Borthwick’s burgeoning side to a first victory over the All Blacks since 2012.
Borthwick’s faith in Ford, at the expense of the omitted Fin Smith, was immediately vindicated by a performance that oozed experience and composure in the face of All Blacks pressure at Allianz Stadium.
England faced a 12-point deficit inside the opening quarter yet panic never set in thanks to Ford’s Test-match acumen, which crucially capitalised on not one but two drop-goal opportunities to ensure England trailed by only one at the interval.
The TMO denied Ford a try in his man-of-the-match performance but a late penalty, that secured a two-score lead, ensured his fingerprints were all over this coming-of-age victory for Borthwick’s England.
“I didn’t once reflect or think about 12 months ago in this week’s preparation,” Ford told Sky Sports News. “It’s a brand-new game, two teams at different stages compared to last year.
“With sport, you have tough nights and times when you don’t execute, and times when you do. It’s the ups and downs and the reality of it. It’s about believing in yourself, in the team, and keeping working hard.
“We wanted to make sure we went into the game with a plan that would win us the game. When you do that, you’re engrossed in it, you try and lead it while wanting to play well, so you don’t have much time to think about anything else.”
For Ford, his match-winning performance was only possible due to the meticulous preparation of his coach Borthwick, whom he hailed as the best he has ever played under for club or country.
“He deserves all the credit,” Ford added. “He’s an incredible coach, the best I have ever had. “We were capable of doing what we did because of his preparation during the week-he’s the guy leading that.
“The players absolutely love the programme: how we get challenged, how he’s constantly trying to evolve us and make our game an all-court game where we can play in a variety of ways. That all comes from Steve. As a player, it is such an incredible thing to have a head coach doing that.”
George Ford connects with a drop goal to reduce England’s deficit to New Zealand
Ford said victory over New Zealand would strengthen England’s belief that they are heading in the right direction under Borthwick.
“Sometimes you need outcomes to build belief and confidence,” he said. “We felt like we were going in the right direction and a lot of things we were doing in training were good. We wanted to show that against one of the best teams in the world, and I thought we did.
“We need to keep our feet on the ground and keep working hard, because what allows us to play like that is our preparation during the week.”
Borthwick has seen his unwavering faith in Ford questioned, but the 32-year-old’s instrumental role in a now 10-game Test-match winning streak proved he remains an integral figure for England at the dawn of a fresh World Cup cycle.
England fly-half George Ford celebrates after the final whistle confirms victory over New Zealand
“George Ford is a brilliant player, an outstanding leader, and an even better person,” Borthwick said in his post-match press conference. “I’ve been privileged to work with him for a period of time.
“You want to talk about 12 months ago, but the ball hit the post 12 months ago after he played really well coming on, as he always does for England.
“He’s such a consistent performer whenever he pulls on an England shirt. Am I pleased for him? I am pleased for him and all the players.”
England return to Allianz Stadium a week on Sunday against Argentina looking to complete their first autumn clean sweep since 2010.
