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According to rugby specialists, the young playmaker has shown that he merits the first-choice spot for the national team's fly-half against New Zealand this weekend.

Fin Smith delivered without doubt the most impressive defensive display observed by an English playmaker for quite some time.

How he fronted up through regularly completing his tackles against a physical Fiji side stood out remarkably.

His tactical control was also immense - he showed an excellent balance of finesse and composure, while executing some strong choices during moments were not going as expected in the first half.

Tackling Prowess and Strategic Command

His ability to settle the squad tactically while making big calls represents an aspect he has truly nailed.

In my opinion, the young fly-half represents England's primary fly-half and deserves to begin versus the All Blacks this weekend.

I think head coach Steve Borthwick views it similarly too, because Fin has demonstrated his capability in big international games.

Team Selection Amid Rivalry

The experienced fly-half began last Saturday against Australia for leadership reasons, and part of that decision was to provide continuity and reward his form from the tour to South America.

But England's performance against Fiji represented a marked improvement from the performance against Australia.

The Wallabies lost in Italy on Saturday, so we should not get too carried away with that win, which should have been by a larger margin considering how off the pace Australia performed.

The Fijian team, on the other hand, were much more threatening and presented a far tougher challenge.

Future Prospects

Fin Smith remains just twenty-three - looking ahead two years, with Ford challenging him but also offering support, I think Smith will find himself in an excellent position in his career.

Marcus Smith must also be regarded as a possibility at the right time and against suitable opponents.

He's progressing as a player while beginning to establish himself, but he also needs the freedom to show his distinctive qualities.

Bench Impact

New Zealand introduced Damian McKenzie, who registered the match-winning try defeating the Scottish team, and that shows the importance of having players capable of creating genuine influence from the bench.

Such type of player might represent the deciding factor separating victory the global tournament from failure.

The All Blacks substitute watches the match unfold from the bench and thinks regarding ways he can make an impact when he comes on.

His decision-making and error rate have enhanced significantly from his initial professional days.

Positional Debate

Should we develop Smith to be such type influential performer, then having him in the backfield might prove beneficial.

Nonetheless, currently I don't think Marcus is the answer at full-back, so that is a position remaining up for grabs.

New Zealand will kick to challenge England's backfield, so it has to be watertight.

It is a position that needs transforming into a real strength, both defensively and in terms of the counter-attack threat.

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

I find it difficult to see the advantage fielding him there.

I prefer the ball under his control as much as possible, but I believe that should be among starters, especially during the last 20 minutes.

Innate Qualities

Clearly there exist numerous parallels between Ford and Fin Smith.

Smith possesses the ability to make the correct decisions under pressure - his instincts represent traits you can really taught.

I remember as he received possession at one stage just inside his territory and it looked that opportunity existed should they swung it wide.

However during these split-seconds he calculated they needed to turn the opposition as we are up on the scoreboard, therefore he punted to pressure the opponents and turn the screw.

This represents the type of playmaking that wins titles while claiming global tournaments.

All-round Ability

He additionally possesses composure under pressure directing teammates around him, and the understanding that he mustn't constantly serve to be the first option.

I hope to witness him receiving the opportunity demonstrating that at the highest level next week, just as we have seen George Ford accomplish, particularly during club level week in consistently.

During the South American tour, the experienced fly-half similarly excelled during challenging circumstances, where historically one might suggest occasions existed he has not quite done so in the very highest-pressure matches.

I think we have playmaking options who can do the job, but with Fin's defensive work combined with everything else, establishes him as the more complete versatile player.

Tactical Setup

It also means there's no need to modify the defensive structure while fielding someone aggressive in the fly-half position, instead of an individual being somewhat passive.

One might make a strong case for Ford starting and Fin Smith coming off the bench.

There are so many considerations that go on privately, however the coaches decide to go, it will give New Zealand problems.

This hasn't consistently represented the situation facing New Zealand, where the focus concentrated solely on selecting the right player.

On this occasion, whichever fly-half selected will pressure the All Blacks under real pressure.

Fin's ability selecting the right kick and execute for a potential 50-20 might relieve pressure off England.