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According to rugby specialists, Fin Smith has shown why he deserves the starting position for the national team's number ten versus New Zealand on Saturday.

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

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

His game management proved exceptional - he showed a perfect blend of finesse and composure, while executing some strong choices during moments were not going to plan in the first half.

Defensive Excellence and Strategic Leadership

His capacity to settle the squad tactically while making important decisions represents an aspect he has really mastered.

From my perspective, the young fly-half is England's primary fly-half and deserves to begin versus the All Blacks this weekend.

I think head coach the England coach views it similarly too, because Fin has demonstrated his capability in big Test matches.

Squad Decisions Amid Rivalry

The experienced fly-half began last Saturday against Australia due to captaincy considerations, with some aspect of that choice was to provide consistency and reward his form during the visit of Argentina.

But England's performance against Fiji represented a marked step up from the performance against Australia.

Australia lost in Italy on Saturday, therefore we must avoid becoming overly excited with that win, that could have been more comprehensive given how off the pace Australia were.

Fiji, by contrast, proved significantly threatening and presented a far tougher test.

Long-term Potential

The young playmaker is still only 23 - projecting forward 24 months, with Ford challenging him while providing support, I think Smith will find himself in a very strong position as a player.

The Harlequins star must also be considered as an option at the right time and against the right opposition.

He's progressing as a player and is starting to establish himself, but he also needs the freedom to show his unique attributes.

Bench Impact

New Zealand brought on Damian McKenzie, who scored the decisive try defeating Scotland, demonstrating the importance of possessing players capable of creating genuine influence as substitutes.

That kind of presence might represent the deciding factor between winning the global tournament from failure.

McKenzie watches the match unfold from the bench and thinks about how he can make a difference upon entering.

His choices and error rate have improved substantially from his initial professional days.

Role Discussion

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

However, currently I don't think Marcus represents the solution at full-back, so that is a position that is still up for grabs.

New Zealand will kick to challenge the English backfield, so it has remain impenetrable.

It is a position that needs to become a genuine asset, both defensively and in terms of the counter-attack threat.

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

I find it difficult to identify the benefit of playing him in that position.

I prefer the ball under his control as much as possible, though I think this should occur among starters, especially during the last 20 minutes.

Innate Qualities

Clearly there exist numerous parallels comparing Ford with Smith.

Fin has the capacity executing the correct decisions during tense moments - his instincts represent traits you can really coach.

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

But in those milliseconds he thought they needed to turn Fiji round since England were up on the scoreboard, so he kicked to pressure them back and turn the screw.

That's the sort of fly-half play securing titles while claiming global tournaments.

All-round Ability

He also has that calmness under pressure directing teammates nearby, while recognizing that he mustn't constantly serve as primary receiver.

I want to see him given the opportunity demonstrating this at elite standards soon, similar to George Ford accomplish, particularly during club level week in and week out.

During the South American tour, Ford also stood up during challenging situations, previously you could argue occasions existed he has not quite done so during extremely tense matches.

I think England possesses two fly-halves who can do the role, though Smith's defence combined with everything else, it makes him the more complete all-round player.

Tactical Setup

It also means you don't have to adjust your defensive system when you have someone aggressive occupying the playmaker channel, instead of someone who is a little more reserved.

One might make a strong case favoring Ford beginning with Smith coming off substitution.

Numerous factors that go on privately, however the management decide to go, it will give New Zealand difficulties.

This hasn't consistently represented the narrative facing New Zealand, where the focus concentrated solely on selecting the optimal individual.

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

Fin's ability selecting the right kick and execute for a potential territorial gains might relieve all the stress off England.