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In expert analysis, the young playmaker has demonstrated that he merits 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 we have seen from an England playmaker for quite some time.

How he fronted up by consistently making defensive hits against an aggressive Fiji side was impressive.

His tactical control was also immense - he showed a perfect blend of finesse and control, and made several crucial choices during moments didn't proceed to plan in the first half.

Defensive Excellence Coupled with Tactical Command

His capacity to settle the team tactically while making important decisions is something he has truly nailed.

In my opinion, Fin Smith is England's number one playmaker and deserves to begin versus the All Blacks next week.

I think the manager the England coach sees it that way as well, because Fin has demonstrated he can perform in big international games.

Squad Decisions Amid Rivalry

The experienced fly-half began last Saturday against Australia for leadership considerations, with some aspect of that choice aimed at ensuring consistency while acknowledging his performance from the tour to South America.

However, the national team's performance versus the Pacific Islanders represented a marked step up from the performance against Australia.

Australia were defeated in Italy last weekend, therefore we must not get overly excited with that win, which should have been by a larger margin considering how off the pace the Australians performed.

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

Future Prospects

The young playmaker remains just 23 - looking ahead 24 months, alongside Ford challenging him while providing support, I think Fin will be in a very strong place in his career.

Marcus Smith must also be regarded as a possibility when appropriate and against the right opposition.

He is developing in his career and is starting to find his feet, but he also needs the freedom to demonstrate his unique qualities.

Bench Impact

The All Blacks introduced their impact player, who registered the decisive try defeating Scotland, demonstrating the importance of possessing players who can make genuine influence from the bench.

That kind of player can be the deciding factor separating victory the global tournament from failure.

The All Blacks substitute watches the game unfold from the bench and thinks about how to create an impact upon entering.

His decision-making and error rate have enhanced significantly since his early professional days.

Role Discussion

Should we develop Smith as such type influential performer, then having him in the backfield could be valuable.

Nonetheless, currently I believe he represents the solution at full-back, making it a position that is still unclaimed.

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

It is a position requiring to become a genuine asset, both defensively and in terms offensive transitions threat.

Currently, I believe Marcus functions as full-back in top-tier rugby.

I struggle to see the benefit of playing him there.

I want possession in his hands as much as possible, but I believe this should occur in the front line, particularly in the final quarter.

Natural Instincts

There are obviously a lot of similarities between Ford with Smith.

Smith possesses the capacity executing right choices under pressure - his instincts represent traits you can really coach.

I recall as he received the ball at one stage just inside his territory appearing like it could be should they swung it wide.

But in those split-seconds he calculated they needed reversing Fiji round since England were up on the scoreboard, therefore he punted to pressure the opponents applying the screw.

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

All-round Ability

He also has that calmness under pressure to organise the players around him, and the understanding that he mustn't constantly serve to be the first option.

I hope to witness him given the opportunity to show this at elite standards soon, similar to George Ford accomplish, especially at club level repeatedly and week out.

During the South American tour, the experienced fly-half also stood up during challenging circumstances, where historically you could argue occasions existed where he didn't fully done so during extremely tense matches.

I think we have playmaking options capable of performing the job, but with Fin's defensive work on top of additional qualities, establishes him as the more complete all-round performer.

Tactical Setup

It also means you don't have to modify your defensive system when you have someone aggressive in the fly-half position, instead of an individual being a little more reserved.

You could also make a strong case favoring Ford beginning with Smith coming off the bench.

Numerous considerations occurring behind closed doors, but whichever way the coaches choose to proceed, it will give New Zealand problems.

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

On this occasion, either playmaker they choose can put New Zealand significantly.

Smith's capacity selecting optimal kicks while delivering for a potential territorial gains can take pressure off the national team.