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

Fin Smith produced without doubt the best defensive performance we have seen by an English fly-half for quite some time.

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

His tactical control was also immense - he demonstrated an excellent balance of skill and control, and made some strong decisions during moments were not going as expected during the opening period.

Tackling Prowess and Strategic Leadership

His ability to calm the team strategically while making big calls is something he has really 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 believe head coach Steve Borthwick sees it similarly too, because Fin has demonstrated he can perform in big Test matches.

Squad Decisions and Competition

George Ford started the previous weekend against Australia due to captaincy reasons, and part of that choice was to provide continuity while acknowledging his performance during the visit of Argentina.

However, the national team's showing versus the Pacific Islanders was a significant step up compared to the display against Australia.

The Wallabies lost on Italian soil last weekend, so we should avoid becoming too carried away about that victory, which should have been more comprehensive given how below par the Australians performed.

Fiji, on the other hand, were much more threatening and presented a far tougher challenge.

Long-term Potential

The young playmaker is still only 23 - projecting forward 24 months, alongside Ford pushing him while providing support, I think Smith will find himself in an excellent place as a player.

Marcus Smith must also be considered as an option at the right time and versus the right opposition.

He is developing as a player while beginning to establish himself, but he also needs the freedom to show his distinctive qualities.

Substitute Influence

New Zealand brought on Damian McKenzie, who registered the decisive score defeating Scotland, demonstrating the significance of having individuals capable of creating genuine influence from the bench.

Such type of presence can be the difference between winning the global tournament or not.

McKenzie observes the match unfold from the bench and thinks about how to create an impact when he comes on.

His decision-making and error rate have improved significantly from his initial career.

Role Discussion

If we can get Smith as that kind influential performer, then having him in the backfield could be valuable.

However, currently I believe Marcus represents the solution at full-back, so that is a position that is still up for grabs.

New Zealand are likely to punt to challenge England's defensive line, therefore it must remain impenetrable.

This role requiring transforming into a genuine asset, in defense and in terms of the counter-attack danger.

Currently, I don't think Marcus is a full-back at the highest level.

I find it difficult to see the advantage fielding him in that position.

I want the ball under his control frequently, though I think this should occur in the front line, especially during the last 20 minutes.

Natural Instincts

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

Smith possesses the capacity to make the correct decisions under pressure - his natural reactions represent traits that can be taught.

I recall as he received the ball during one phase within his territory appearing that opportunity existed on if they swung it wide.

However during these split-seconds he calculated they needed to turn the opposition as we are up on the scoreboard, therefore he punted it to pin the opponents applying pressure.

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

All-round Ability

He additionally possesses that calmness under pressure to organise the players around him, while recognizing that he doesn't constantly serve to be the first receiver.

I hope to witness him receiving the chance to show that at the highest standards soon, similar to the veteran accomplish, particularly during club level week in consistently.

In Argentina, Ford also stood up in difficult circumstances, previously you could argue there have been times where he didn't fully done so in the very highest-pressure games.

I think we have playmaking options who can do the role, but with Fin's defensive work on top of additional qualities, establishes him as the better-rounded all-round performer.

Tactical Setup

This also indicates you don't have to adjust your defensive system when you have someone aggressive in the fly-half position, instead of an individual being a little more passive.

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

There are so many factors occurring privately, however the management decide to go, 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, whichever fly-half they choose can put the All Blacks significantly.

Smith's capacity selecting the right kick while delivering enabling possible territorial gains might relieve all the stress away from England.