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According to rugby specialists, Fin Smith has shown why he deserves the starting position for the national team's fly-half against New Zealand this weekend.

The Northampton Saints star produced arguably the best defensive performance observed by an English playmaker in several years.

How he fronted up through regularly completing defensive hits against an aggressive Fijian team stood out remarkably.

His tactical control proved exceptional - he demonstrated a perfect blend of skill and composure, while executing some strong choices when things were not going as expected in the first half.

Defensive Excellence and Strategic Command

His ability to calm the squad strategically and make big calls is something he has truly mastered.

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

I think the manager Steve Borthwick views it similarly too, since Smith has proven he can perform in big Test matches.

Squad Decisions and Competition

The experienced fly-half started the previous weekend versus the Wallabies due to captaincy considerations, with some aspect of that choice was to provide consistency and reward his form from the tour 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 not get too carried away about that victory, that could have been by a larger margin given how below par the Australians were.

Fiji, by contrast, proved significantly threatening while offering a far tougher challenge.

Future Prospects

The young playmaker is still only twenty-three - looking ahead two years, alongside Ford pushing him but also offering backup, I believe Smith will find himself in an excellent place as a player.

Marcus Smith must also be considered as a possibility when appropriate and against suitable opponents.

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

Bench Impact

The All Blacks introduced Damian McKenzie, who scored the decisive score to beat the Scottish team, and that shows the importance of possessing players capable of creating genuine influence as substitutes.

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

McKenzie observes the match develop from the bench and thinks regarding ways he can make an impact when he comes on.

His decision-making and mistake frequency have improved substantially since his early career.

Positional Debate

Should we develop Smith to be such type influential player, then having him among substitutes could be valuable.

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

The All Blacks will kick to challenge the English defensive line, so it has to be impenetrable.

This role requiring to become a genuine asset, both defensively while regarding of the counter-attack threat.

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

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

I prefer possession under his control as much as possible, but I believe this should occur in the front line, especially during the last quarter.

Natural Instincts

Clearly there exist numerous parallels between Ford with Smith.

Smith possesses the ability to make right choices during tense moments - his instincts are not something that can be taught.

I remember as he received the ball at one stage just inside his territory and it looked that opportunity existed should they spread play.

However during these milliseconds he thought they needed reversing Fiji round as we are up on the scoreboard, so he kicked it to pin them back and turn pressure.

This represents the type of fly-half play securing championships and wins World Cups.

Complete Package

He additionally possesses that calmness under pressure to organise teammates around him, and the understanding that he doesn't always need as primary option.

I hope to witness him receiving the opportunity to show this at elite level next week, just as we have seen George Ford accomplish, especially at club level week in and week out.

During the South American tour, the experienced fly-half also stood up during challenging circumstances, previously one might suggest there have been times 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 on top of everything else, it makes him the better-rounded all-round player.

Defensive System

This also indicates there's no need to adjust the defensive structure while fielding an assertive player in the fly-half position, instead of someone who is a little more reserved.

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

Numerous considerations occurring privately, but whichever way the coaches decide to go, this will present New Zealand difficulties.

That has not always been the narrative against the All Blacks, when attention was simply on selecting the optimal individual.

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

Fin's ability to pick the right kick while delivering for a potential 50-20 might relieve pressure off England.