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According to rugby specialists, Fin Smith has shown why he deserves the starting position as England's fly-half against New Zealand on Saturday.

Fin Smith delivered arguably the most impressive defensive performance we have seen by an English playmaker in several years.

His courageous approach by consistently making defensive hits against a physical Fijian team was impressive.

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

Defensive Excellence and Strategic Leadership

His ability to calm the team strategically and make important decisions represents an aspect he has truly mastered.

In my opinion, the young fly-half represents England's number one playmaker and he should begin versus the All Blacks this weekend.

I think head coach the England coach views it similarly too, because Fin has proven his capability during important international games.

Squad Decisions and Competition

The experienced fly-half started last Saturday versus the Wallabies due to captaincy considerations, with some aspect of that choice was to provide consistency and reward his performance from the tour to South America.

But England's showing versus the Pacific Islanders represented a marked step up from the performance against Australia.

The Wallabies were defeated on Italian soil on Saturday, therefore we must not get overly excited about that victory, which should have been by a larger margin given how off the pace the Australians performed.

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

Future Prospects

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

The Harlequins star must also be regarded as a possibility at the right time and against the right opposition.

He's progressing as a player while beginning to establish himself, but he also requires liberty to show his distinctive attributes.

Bench Impact

The All Blacks brought on their impact player, who scored the match-winning score defeating Scotland, and that shows the importance of possessing individuals capable of creating genuine influence from the bench.

Such type of player might represent the deciding factor between winning a World Cup from failure.

McKenzie observes the game develop from the bench while considering regarding ways to create a difference when he comes on.

His decision-making and error rate have enhanced substantially from his initial professional days.

Role Discussion

Should we develop Marcus to be such type of impactful player, then having him among substitutes might prove valuable.

However, at the moment I don't think he is the answer in the number fifteen position, making it a position that is still up for grabs.

The All Blacks are likely to punt to challenge the English backfield, therefore it must remain watertight.

It is a position requiring transforming into a real strength, in defense and in terms offensive transitions threat.

Currently, I believe Smith functions as full-back at the highest level.

I struggle to identify the advantage of playing him there.

I want possession under his control as much as possible, though I think this should occur in the front line, particularly in the final quarter.

Natural Instincts

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

Fin has the capacity to make right choices during tense moments - his natural reactions represent traits that can be coach.

I recall as he received the ball during one phase within his territory appearing like it could be should they swung it wide.

But in those split-seconds he thought they needed reversing the opposition as we are up on the scoreboard, therefore he punted to pressure 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, while recognizing that he mustn't constantly serve as primary receiver.

I hope to witness him given the opportunity to show this at elite standards soon, just as we have seen the veteran do, especially at club level repeatedly consistently.

During the South American tour, Ford also stood up in difficult circumstances, where historically you could argue there have been times where he didn't fully delivered in the very highest-pressure matches.

I think England possesses playmaking options who can do the job, though Smith's defensive work on top of everything else, it makes him the better-rounded all-round player.

Tactical Setup

This also indicates you don't have to adjust your defensive system when you have an assertive player occupying the playmaker channel, rather than an individual being a little more reserved.

One might make a strong case favoring Ford beginning and Fin Smith entering from substitution.

There are so many factors that go on privately, however the coaches choose to proceed, it will give the opponents difficulties.

This hasn't consistently represented the narrative facing New Zealand, where the focus was simply on picking the optimal individual.

On this occasion, whichever fly-half they choose can put the All Blacks under real pressure.

Fin's ability selecting optimal kicks and execute for a potential 50-20 can take pressure away from England.