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According to rugby specialists, the young playmaker has demonstrated that he merits the starting position as England's fly-half versus the All Blacks this weekend.

The Northampton Saints star delivered without doubt the best defensive display observed from an England playmaker for quite some time.

How he fronted up through regularly completing defensive hits versus an aggressive Fiji side was impressive.

His tactical control was also immense - he showed an excellent balance of finesse and composure, and made some strong decisions when things were not going to plan during the opening period.

Defensive Excellence and Strategic Leadership

His capacity to settle the team strategically and make big calls is something he has really nailed.

From my perspective, Fin Smith represents England's number one fly-half and deserves to start versus New Zealand this weekend.

I believe the manager the England coach views it similarly too, since Smith has proven his capability in big international games.

Squad Decisions and Competition

George Ford began last Saturday versus the Wallabies for leadership reasons, and part of that choice was to provide continuity while acknowledging his form from the tour of Argentina.

However, the national team's showing against Fiji was a significant step up from the performance versus the Wallabies.

Australia lost on Italian soil on Saturday, so we should avoid becoming overly excited about that victory, which should have been by a larger margin considering how off the pace Australia were.

The Fijian team, on the other hand, were much more dangerous while offering a much more difficult test.

Long-term Potential

Fin Smith remains just 23 - projecting forward two years, with Ford challenging him but also offering backup, I believe Smith will find himself in a very strong place as a player.

The Harlequins star also has to be regarded as a possibility at the right time and versus suitable opponents.

He's progressing in his career while beginning to find his feet, though he needs the freedom to show his unique qualities.

Bench Impact

The All Blacks brought on Damian McKenzie, who registered 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 a World Cup or not.

The All Blacks substitute observes the match develop while substituted and thinks regarding ways he can make an impact when he comes on.

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

Role Discussion

If we can get Marcus as such type influential player, including him among substitutes could be valuable.

Nonetheless, at the moment I don't think Marcus is the answer at full-back, making it a role that is still unclaimed.

The All Blacks will kick testing England's backfield, therefore it must remain watertight.

It is a position requiring to become a genuine asset, in defense while regarding offensive transitions danger.

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

I struggle to identify the benefit of playing him in that position.

I want possession under his control as much as possible, though I think this should occur among starters, especially during the last 20 minutes.

Innate Qualities

Clearly there exist numerous similarities between Ford with Smith.

Smith possesses the capacity executing right choices during tense moments - his natural reactions represent traits that can be taught.

I recall as he received the ball at one stage just inside his own half appearing like it could be should they spread play.

But in those milliseconds he calculated they needed to turn the opposition as we are leading points-wise, therefore he punted it to pin them back applying the screw.

That's the sort of playmaking that wins championships and wins World Cups.

All-round Ability

He also has composure under pressure directing the players nearby, and the understanding that he doesn't constantly serve to be the first option.

I want to see him receiving the chance demonstrating this at elite standards soon, just as we have seen George Ford accomplish, especially at domestic matches week in consistently.

In Argentina, Ford also stood up in difficult circumstances, where historically one might suggest occasions existed where he didn't fully done so during extremely tense games.

I believe England possesses playmaking options capable of performing the role, though Smith's defence on top of additional qualities, establishes him as the better-rounded versatile player.

Tactical Setup

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

You could also make a strong case for Ford starting with Smith coming off substitution.

Numerous factors that go on privately, but whichever way the management choose to proceed, this will present New Zealand problems.

That has not always been the situation facing New Zealand, where the focus was simply on picking the right player.

On this occasion, either playmaker selected will pressure New Zealand significantly.

Fin's ability selecting the right kick and execute for a potential 50-20 might relieve all the stress away from the national team.