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According to rugby specialists, the young playmaker has shown why he deserves the first-choice spot as England's fly-half versus the All Blacks this weekend.

Fin Smith produced arguably the most impressive defensive performance observed by an English fly-half for quite some time.

How he fronted up through regularly completing defensive hits versus a physical Fijian team was impressive.

His tactical control proved exceptional - he demonstrated a perfect blend of finesse and control, and made several crucial decisions during moments didn't proceed as expected during the opening period.

Defensive Excellence and Strategic Leadership

His ability to settle the team tactically while making important decisions is something he has really mastered.

In my opinion, Fin Smith represents England's number one fly-half and deserves to begin versus the All Blacks this weekend.

I believe head coach the England coach views it that way as well, since Smith has demonstrated he can perform in big Test matches.

Squad Decisions Amid Rivalry

The experienced fly-half started the previous weekend against Australia due to captaincy reasons, with some aspect of that choice was to provide continuity and reward his form from the tour to South America.

However, the national team's performance versus the Pacific Islanders was a significant improvement from the performance versus the Wallabies.

The Wallabies lost in Italy last weekend, so we should not get too carried away with that win, which should have been by a larger margin given how off the pace the Australians performed.

Fiji, by contrast, were much more dangerous while offering a much more difficult test.

Future Prospects

Fin Smith remains just 23 - projecting forward two years, with Ford pushing him while providing backup, I think Fin will be in a very strong place in his career.

The Harlequins star must also be regarded as an option at the right time and versus the right opposition.

He's progressing as a player while beginning to find his feet, but he also needs the freedom to demonstrate his unique qualities.

Substitute Influence

New Zealand brought on Damian McKenzie, who scored the decisive try defeating Scotland, and that shows the importance of having individuals capable of creating genuine influence as substitutes.

That kind of player might represent the deciding factor between winning the global tournament or not.

McKenzie observes the game unfold from the bench while considering about how to create a difference upon entering.

His choices and error rate have improved substantially since his early professional days.

Role Discussion

If we can get Marcus as that kind influential player, including him in the backfield might prove valuable.

Nonetheless, at the moment I believe he is the answer at full-back, making it a role remaining unclaimed.

The All Blacks will kick testing the English backfield, so it has to be watertight.

It is a position that needs transforming into a real strength, in defense while regarding of the counter-attack threat.

Currently, I don't think Marcus functions as full-back in top-tier rugby.

I struggle to see the benefit fielding him in that position.

I prefer possession in his hands frequently, but I believe this should occur in the front line, particularly during the last 20 minutes.

Innate Qualities

Clearly there exist numerous similarities between Ford with Smith.

Fin has the ability executing the correct decisions during tense moments - his instincts represent traits you can really coach.

I recall when he got possession at one stage within his territory and it looked like it could be should they spread play.

But in those milliseconds he calculated they needed to turn Fiji round since England were up on the scoreboard, so he kicked it to pin the opponents and turn the screw.

That's the sort of fly-half play that wins titles and wins World Cups.

Complete Package

He additionally possesses composure under pressure directing teammates around him, while recognizing that he mustn't constantly serve as primary receiver.

I hope to witness him given the opportunity to show that at the highest standards soon, just as we have seen George Ford do, particularly during domestic matches week in consistently.

In Argentina, Ford similarly excelled in difficult situations, where historically you could argue there have been times he has not quite done so in the very highest-pressure games.

I think we have playmaking options capable of performing the job, though Smith's defensive work on top of additional qualities, it makes him the more complete versatile performer.

Defensive System

This also indicates there's no need to adjust the defensive structure when you have someone aggressive occupying the playmaker position, instead of an individual being somewhat reserved.

You could also make a strong case for Ford starting with Smith entering from substitution.

There are so many factors that go on behind closed doors, however the coaches choose to proceed, it will give the opponents problems.

This hasn't consistently represented the narrative facing New Zealand, when attention concentrated solely on selecting the right player.

This time, either playmaker they choose will pressure New Zealand significantly.

Fin's ability selecting the right kick and execute for a potential territorial gains might relieve pressure away from the national team.