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

The Northampton Saints star produced arguably the best defensive display observed from an England fly-half for quite some time.

How he fronted up by consistently making his tackles against a physical Fiji side was impressive.

His game management was also immense - he showed an excellent balance of skill and control, while executing several crucial choices when things didn't proceed as expected in the first half.

Defensive Excellence and Strategic Command

His capacity to calm the squad strategically while making important decisions is something he has really nailed.

In my opinion, Fin Smith represents England's primary fly-half and he should begin against New Zealand this weekend.

I think the manager Steve Borthwick sees it that way too, since Smith has proven he can perform during important Test matches.

Team Selection Amid Rivalry

The experienced fly-half started last Saturday against Australia for leadership considerations, with some aspect of that choice aimed at ensuring consistency and reward his performance from the tour to South America.

However, the national team's showing versus the Pacific Islanders represented a marked improvement compared to the display versus the Wallabies.

Australia lost on Italian soil last weekend, therefore we must not get overly excited about that victory, that could have been by a larger margin considering how below par the Australians performed.

The Fijian team, on the other hand, proved significantly threatening while offering a far tougher test.

Future Prospects

The young playmaker remains just twenty-three - projecting forward two years, with Ford pushing him while providing backup, I believe Smith will find himself in a very strong place 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 demonstrate his distinctive qualities.

Bench Impact

The All Blacks brought on Damian McKenzie, who registered the decisive score to beat the Scottish team, demonstrating the significance of having players who can make a real impact as substitutes.

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

McKenzie observes the game develop from the bench and thinks about how he can make an impact upon entering.

His choices and mistake frequency have enhanced substantially since his early professional days.

Role Discussion

Should we develop Smith as that kind influential performer, then having him in the backfield could be valuable.

However, currently I don't think he is the answer in the number fifteen position, making it a role remaining unclaimed.

New Zealand are likely to punt testing the English backfield, so it has to be watertight.

This role requiring transforming into a genuine asset, both defensively and in terms offensive transitions danger.

Currently, I believe Marcus is a full-back in top-tier rugby.

I struggle to see the advantage fielding him there.

I prefer the ball in his hands frequently, though I think this should occur among starters, particularly during the last quarter.

Natural Instincts

Clearly there exist a lot of parallels between Ford with Smith.

Smith possesses the ability executing right decisions during tense moments - his instincts represent traits you can really taught.

I recall when he got possession at one stage just inside his own half appearing that opportunity existed on if they spread play.

However during these split-seconds he thought the team required reversing Fiji round as we are up on the scoreboard, therefore he punted it to pin them back applying pressure.

That's the sort of playmaking that wins titles and wins World Cups.

All-round Ability

He additionally possesses composure under pressure to organise the players nearby, while recognizing that he doesn't always need as primary receiver.

I hope to witness him given the opportunity to show this at elite level next week, similar to the veteran do, especially at club level week in consistently.

During the South American tour, Ford similarly excelled during challenging circumstances, where historically you could argue occasions existed he has not quite delivered during extremely tense matches.

I think England possesses two fly-halves capable of performing the role, but with Fin's defensive work on top of additional qualities, establishes him as the better-rounded versatile player.

Defensive System

This also indicates you don't have to adjust your defensive system while fielding an assertive player occupying the playmaker position, instead of an individual being a little more reserved.

One might make a strong case for Ford starting with Smith coming off substitution.

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

That has not always been the narrative against the All Blacks, where the focus was simply on selecting the right player.

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

Smith's capacity selecting the right kick and execute enabling possible 50-20 might relieve all the stress off England.