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According to rugby specialists, the young playmaker has shown that he merits the first-choice spot for the national team's fly-half against the All Blacks on Saturday.

Fin Smith produced arguably the best defensive performance we have seen by an English playmaker for quite some time.

His courageous approach through regularly completing defensive hits against an aggressive Fijian team was impressive.

His game management was also immense - he showed a perfect blend of skill and composure, and made several crucial choices during moments were not going as expected in the first half.

Tackling Prowess Coupled with Tactical Command

His capacity to settle the squad strategically while making big calls represents an aspect he has truly nailed.

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

I believe head coach Steve Borthwick views it that way as well, since Smith has proven his capability in big international games.

Squad Decisions and Competition

The experienced fly-half began last Saturday versus the Wallabies for leadership considerations, with some aspect of that choice was to provide consistency while acknowledging his performance from the tour of Argentina.

However, the national team's performance against Fiji represented a marked step up compared to the display versus the Wallabies.

The Wallabies lost in Italy last weekend, so we should avoid becoming overly excited about that victory, which should have been by a larger margin given how below par the Australians were.

The Fijian team, by contrast, proved significantly threatening while offering a much more difficult challenge.

Long-term Potential

The young playmaker is still only twenty-three - looking ahead two years, alongside Ford challenging him while providing backup, I think Fin will be in a very strong position as a player.

The Harlequins star also has to be considered as a possibility when appropriate and against the right opposition.

He is developing as a player and is starting to establish himself, but he also needs the freedom to show his unique qualities.

Substitute Influence

The All Blacks brought on Damian McKenzie, who registered the decisive score defeating Scotland, demonstrating the significance of possessing players capable of creating genuine influence as substitutes.

That kind of presence might represent the difference separating victory the global tournament or not.

McKenzie observes the match develop from the bench and thinks about how to create an impact upon entering.

His choices and mistake frequency have improved significantly since his early career.

Positional Debate

If we can get Smith as that kind influential performer, then having him in the backfield might prove beneficial.

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

The All Blacks will kick to challenge the English backfield, therefore it must remain watertight.

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

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

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

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

Natural Instincts

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

Fin has the capacity to make right choices during tense moments - his natural reactions are not something you can really taught.

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

But in those milliseconds he calculated they needed reversing the opposition since England were up on the scoreboard, so he kicked it to pin them back applying pressure.

That's the sort of playmaking that wins titles while claiming global tournaments.

All-round Ability

He also has that calmness during intensity directing the players nearby, while recognizing that he mustn't always need to be the first receiver.

I want to see him given the chance to show this at elite standards soon, just as we have seen the veteran do, particularly during domestic matches week in and week out.

During the South American tour, the experienced fly-half similarly excelled in difficult circumstances, where historically you could argue occasions existed he has not quite done so during extremely tense games.

I think we have playmaking options capable of performing the role, though Smith's defence on top of everything else, it makes him the better-rounded versatile performer.

Defensive System

It also means there's no need to adjust your defensive system while fielding an assertive player occupying the playmaker position, rather than an individual being somewhat reserved.

You could also make a strong case for Ford starting and Fin Smith coming off substitution.

There are so many factors occurring behind closed doors, but whichever way the coaches choose to proceed, this will present the opponents difficulties.

That has not always been the narrative facing New Zealand, where the focus was simply on picking the optimal individual.

This time, whichever fly-half they choose can put New Zealand under real pressure.

Smith's capacity to pick optimal kicks and execute enabling possible 50-20 can take pressure off England.