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In expert analysis, the young playmaker has shown that he merits the starting position for the national team's fly-half against the All Blacks on Saturday.

Fin Smith produced without doubt the best defensive performance observed from an England playmaker for quite some time.

How he fronted up through regularly completing his tackles against a physical Fijian team was impressive.

His game management proved exceptional - he demonstrated a perfect blend of skill and composure, and made several crucial choices when things were not going as expected during the opening period.

Defensive Excellence Coupled with Tactical Leadership

His ability to settle the team tactically and make big calls is something he has truly nailed.

In my opinion, Fin Smith is England's number one fly-half and deserves to start against New Zealand next week.

I believe head coach the England coach sees it similarly as well, because Fin has proven he can perform in big Test matches.

Squad Decisions Amid Rivalry

The experienced fly-half began the previous weekend versus the Wallabies for leadership reasons, and part of that choice aimed at ensuring continuity and reward his form during the visit to South America.

However, the national team's performance against Fiji was a significant improvement from the performance against Australia.

Australia lost in Italy last weekend, so we should not get too carried away with that win, which should have been by a larger margin considering how off the pace Australia were.

Fiji, by contrast, were much more dangerous while offering a much more difficult challenge.

Future Prospects

The young playmaker remains just twenty-three - looking ahead two years, alongside Ford challenging him but also offering support, I think Smith will find himself in a very strong position in his career.

Marcus Smith also has to be considered as an option at the right time and against the right opposition.

He's progressing in his career and is starting to establish himself, but he also needs the freedom to demonstrate his distinctive attributes.

Bench Impact

The All Blacks introduced their impact player, who scored the decisive score to beat Scotland, demonstrating the importance of having players who can make genuine influence as substitutes.

That kind of presence might represent 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 enhanced substantially since his early career.

Role Discussion

Should we develop Smith as that kind influential player, including him among substitutes could be beneficial.

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

The All Blacks are likely to punt testing the English backfield, so it has to be watertight.

It is a position requiring to become a real strength, both defensively and in terms of the counter-attack danger.

Right now, I believe Marcus is a full-back at the highest level.

I find it difficult to see the advantage of playing him there.

I want possession in his hands frequently, though I think this should occur in the front line, particularly during the last quarter.

Natural Instincts

Clearly there exist numerous parallels between Ford with Smith.

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

I recall as he received the ball during one phase just inside his own half appearing like it could be should they spread play.

However during these milliseconds he calculated they needed reversing the opposition as we are leading points-wise, therefore he punted it to pin the opponents and turn the screw.

This represents the type of fly-half play that wins championships while claiming global tournaments.

All-round Ability

He also has composure under pressure to organise teammates around him, and the understanding that he doesn't constantly serve as primary receiver.

I want to see him receiving the chance demonstrating that at the highest level next week, similar to the veteran do, especially at domestic matches repeatedly and week out.

During the South American tour, the experienced fly-half similarly excelled in difficult circumstances, where historically one might suggest occasions existed where he didn't fully delivered in the very highest-pressure games.

I believe we have playmaking options who can do the role, though Smith's defensive work combined with additional qualities, it makes him the better-rounded all-round performer.

Defensive System

It also means you don't have to adjust your defensive system when you have an assertive player in the fly-half position, instead of someone who is a little more reserved.

You could also present compelling arguments for Ford starting and Fin Smith coming off substitution.

Numerous factors that go on privately, however the management choose to proceed, this will present the opponents difficulties.

This hasn't consistently represented the narrative facing New Zealand, when attention concentrated solely on picking the right player.

This time, whichever fly-half they choose will pressure the All Blacks significantly.

Fin's ability to pick optimal kicks and execute for a potential 50-20 can take all the stress away from the national team.