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In expert analysis, the young playmaker has demonstrated why he deserves the starting position as England's number ten versus New Zealand this weekend.

Fin Smith produced without doubt the best defensive performance we have seen by an English playmaker in several years.

His courageous approach through regularly completing his tackles versus an aggressive Fijian team stood out remarkably.

His tactical control was also immense - he showed an excellent balance of skill and composure, and made some strong choices when things were not going as expected in the first half.

Defensive Excellence and Strategic Command

His capacity to calm the squad strategically while making big calls represents an aspect he has truly nailed.

From my perspective, the young fly-half is England's number one fly-half and deserves to begin against New Zealand this weekend.

I think the manager the England coach views it that way as well, because Fin has proven he can perform during important Test matches.

Team Selection and Competition

George Ford began last Saturday versus the Wallabies for leadership reasons, with some aspect of that decision was to provide consistency while acknowledging his performance during the visit of Argentina.

But England's showing versus the Pacific Islanders was a significant improvement compared to the display versus the Wallabies.

The Wallabies were defeated on Italian soil last weekend, therefore we must avoid becoming overly excited about that victory, that could have been by a larger margin considering how off the pace the Australians performed.

The Fijian team, by contrast, were much more dangerous and presented a far tougher test.

Future Prospects

The young playmaker is still only twenty-three - projecting forward 24 months, alongside Ford challenging him while providing backup, I think Fin will be in a very strong position as a player.

Marcus Smith must also be regarded as an option at the right time and versus suitable opponents.

He is developing as a player while beginning to find his feet, but he also requires liberty to show his distinctive attributes.

Bench Impact

New Zealand brought on Damian McKenzie, who scored the match-winning try defeating the Scottish team, demonstrating the significance of possessing individuals capable of creating a real impact from the bench.

Such type of player can be the difference between winning a World Cup from failure.

McKenzie observes the match develop while substituted and thinks regarding ways to create a difference when he comes on.

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

Positional Debate

Should we develop Marcus to be such type influential performer, including him among substitutes could be beneficial.

However, currently I believe he is the answer at full-back, so that is a role remaining up for grabs.

New Zealand will kick testing England's defensive line, so it has to be impenetrable.

This role requiring to become a real strength, both defensively and in terms of the counter-attack threat.

Right now, I believe Marcus is a full-back at the highest level.

I struggle to identify the benefit of playing him there.

I prefer the ball in his hands frequently, though I think that should be in the front line, particularly in the final 20 minutes.

Natural Instincts

Clearly there exist a lot of similarities between Ford and Fin Smith.

Smith possesses the ability executing the correct choices under pressure - his natural reactions are not something that can be coach.

I remember when he got possession at one stage within his territory and it looked like it could be on if they swung it wide.

But in those split-seconds he thought they needed reversing the opposition since England were leading points-wise, so he kicked it to pin the opponents applying pressure.

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

Complete Package

He also has that calmness during intensity to organise the players around him, and the understanding that he doesn't constantly serve to be the first option.

I want to see him receiving the opportunity demonstrating that at the highest standards soon, just as we have seen George Ford accomplish, particularly during domestic matches repeatedly and week out.

In Argentina, Ford also stood up in difficult situations, previously one might suggest occasions existed he has not quite done so during extremely tense matches.

I think we have two fly-halves who can do the job, but with Fin's defence combined with everything else, establishes him as the more complete all-round performer.

Tactical Setup

It also means there's no need to modify your defensive system when you have someone aggressive occupying the playmaker position, rather than an individual being a little more reserved.

One might present compelling arguments for Ford starting and Fin Smith entering from substitution.

There are so many considerations that go on behind closed doors, but whichever way the coaches decide to go, it will give the opponents difficulties.

That has not always been the narrative facing New Zealand, where the focus concentrated solely on selecting the optimal individual.

This time, whichever fly-half selected can put the All Blacks significantly.

Fin's ability selecting optimal kicks while delivering for a potential 50-20 can take all the stress away from the national team.