Ford missed a penalty and a drop goal at the death against New Zealand at Twickenham as England went down 24-22 having led 22-14 on the hour.
It was another near miss for the Red Roses who in the last 13 months have lost three close games against the All Blacks and others against France and South Africa.
The only one they have got over the line was in March when Marcus Smith’s drop goal claimed a 23-22 win over Ireland.
They tried to produce a similar trick through Ford, a 62nd minute replacement for Smith, but came up short again.
But hooker George would not throw Ford under the bus after his drop goal, hit off balance and on the back foot, went wide to the right.
George said: “If that kick goes slightly more left, we are talking about a very different result. He hasn’t missed many in his career so we certainly can’t blame him for that. We actually did what we had spoken about. We had spoken about being in that exact position, we walked through being in that exact position and we felt like we were in control of it. We kept attacking them and unfortunately George missed the kick.”
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Denne historien er fra November 03, 2024-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
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Sleightholme shows he has pace to burn
OLLIE Sleightholme recently clocked his fastest sprint time and is racing to cement his spot as an England starter.
McGoverne says playing for Chiefs is her priority
EXETER fly-half Olivia McGoverne has opted for club over country which will rule her out of contention for New Zealand’s World Cup bid in 2025.
Trinity aim to get the culture right
HIGH-FLYING Trinity have made a remarkable turnaround this season after narrowly avoiding relegation last term, heading into this weekend unbeaten and are now eyeing up promotion from Level 7.
YOUNG GUNS
Louie Gulley experienced the environment of England U20s’ World Championship triumph up close this summerand now has a burning desire to become an age-grade star. The 19-year-old Exeter Chiefs hooker was part of Mark Mapletoft’s squad but didn’t manage to make an appearance during the tournament.
The Cherry & Whites lay down marker over Lucs
CAMBORNE maintained their lead at the top of the table with a bonus-point win against their nearest challengers in a pulsating game.
A brace from Botterill is key to victory for Esher
A highly entertaining and enthralling contest between two sides fighting at the foot of the table was eventually won by Esher after the lead had changed no less than seven times throughout an absorbing afternoon.
Chiefs in hunt for new investment
TONY Rowe has confirmed the search for new investors into Exeter Chiefs has begun as he looks to safeguard the longterm future of the Premiership club.
McParland keen to shine for England A
NORTHAMPTON scrum-half Archie McParland feels he has returned a better player following a nasty injury that denied him a World Cup winners medal and is now ready to fly into a new opportunity with England A.
Undercard get chance to show their A-game
ENGLAND’S A team today get their first major work-out after being resurrected earlier this year when Australia’s undercard provide the opposition at The Stoop.
England look like a clueless rabble
I WATCHED with a growing sense of bewilderment as England yet again took to the field against Australia looking to all intents and purpose as if they had just been introduced to each other on the coach into Twickenham.
