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According to rugby specialists, the young playmaker has shown that he merits the first-choice spot as England's number ten against New Zealand this weekend.

The Northampton Saints star delivered without doubt the best defensive display we have seen by an English playmaker for quite some time.

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

His game management was also immense - he showed an excellent balance of skill and control, while executing some strong decisions during moments didn't proceed as expected in the first half.

Defensive Excellence Coupled with Tactical Leadership

His ability to calm the squad tactically and make big calls represents an aspect he has truly nailed.

From my perspective, the young fly-half represents England's primary fly-half and deserves to begin against the All Blacks next week.

I believe the manager Steve Borthwick views it that way as well, because Fin has proven he can perform in big Test matches.

Squad Decisions Amid Rivalry

George Ford began last Saturday against Australia due to captaincy reasons, and part of that decision was to provide consistency and reward his form from the tour to South America.

However, the national team's showing against Fiji was a significant step up compared to the display versus the Wallabies.

Australia were defeated on Italian soil last weekend, therefore we must not get overly excited with that win, that could have been by a larger margin considering how off the pace the Australians were.

Fiji, on the other hand, were much more threatening and presented a much more difficult challenge.

Future Prospects

Fin Smith is still only twenty-three - projecting forward two years, with Ford pushing him but also offering support, I think Smith will find himself in an excellent place in his career.

Marcus Smith must also be regarded as an option when appropriate and versus the right opposition.

He is developing in his career and is starting to establish himself, but he also requires liberty to demonstrate his unique attributes.

Bench Impact

New Zealand introduced their impact player, who registered the decisive try defeating the Scottish team, demonstrating the significance of possessing players who can make a real impact as substitutes.

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

The All Blacks substitute watches the match develop from the bench and thinks about how to create an impact when he comes on.

His choices and error rate have enhanced significantly from his initial career.

Role Discussion

Should we develop Smith as such type of impactful player, then having him in the backfield might prove beneficial.

However, currently I don't think he represents the solution at full-back, so that is a position remaining unclaimed.

The All Blacks are likely to punt to challenge England's defensive line, so it has to be impenetrable.

This role that needs transforming into a genuine asset, both defensively and in terms of the counter-attack danger.

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

I find it difficult to identify the advantage of playing him there.

I want the ball under his control frequently, though I think this should occur among starters, particularly during the last quarter.

Natural Instincts

Clearly there exist numerous parallels comparing Ford and Fin Smith.

Smith possesses the ability to make right decisions under pressure - his instincts are not something you can really coach.

I remember as he received possession during one phase just inside his territory appearing that opportunity existed should they spread play.

But in those milliseconds he calculated the team required to turn the opposition as we are leading points-wise, so he kicked to pressure them back applying pressure.

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

All-round Ability

He also has composure during intensity to organise teammates around him, while recognizing that he doesn't constantly serve to be the first option.

I want to see him given the chance demonstrating this at elite level next week, similar to the veteran accomplish, especially at club level repeatedly consistently.

During the South American tour, the experienced fly-half also stood up in difficult situations, previously you could argue occasions existed where he didn't fully delivered during extremely tense games.

I believe we have playmaking options who can do the job, but with Fin's defensive work combined with additional qualities, it makes him the better-rounded all-round performer.

Defensive System

This also indicates there's no need to modify the defensive structure while fielding an assertive player occupying the playmaker channel, instead of an individual being somewhat reserved.

One might present compelling arguments for Ford starting with Smith coming off substitution.

There are so many factors that go on privately, however the coaches decide to go, it will give the opponents problems.

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

This time, whichever fly-half they choose will pressure the All Blacks significantly.

Smith's capacity to pick the right kick while delivering for a potential territorial gains can take all the stress off the national team.