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In expert analysis, Fin Smith has shown why he deserves the first-choice spot for the national team's fly-half versus the All Blacks on Saturday.

The Northampton Saints star produced without doubt the best defensive performance we have seen from an England playmaker in several years.

How he fronted up by consistently making his tackles against a physical Fijian team was impressive.

His tactical control proved exceptional - he showed an excellent balance of finesse and control, while executing some strong decisions during moments didn't proceed to plan in the first half.

Defensive Excellence and Strategic Command

His ability to calm the squad strategically and make big calls represents an aspect he has truly mastered.

From my perspective, the young fly-half represents England's primary fly-half and deserves to start versus New Zealand next week.

I think head coach the England coach views it similarly as well, because Fin has proven his capability in big international games.

Squad Decisions and Competition

George Ford began the previous weekend against Australia due to captaincy reasons, with some aspect of that decision was to provide continuity while acknowledging his form from the tour to South America.

But England's performance versus the Pacific Islanders was a significant improvement from the performance versus the Wallabies.

Australia lost in Italy last weekend, so we should not get overly excited with that win, that could have been by a larger margin considering how below par the Australians were.

The Fijian team, by contrast, proved significantly threatening and presented a much more difficult test.

Future Prospects

Fin Smith remains just 23 - projecting forward 24 months, with Ford challenging him while providing backup, I think Fin will be in an excellent place as a player.

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

He is developing in his career while beginning to establish himself, though he requires liberty to show his unique attributes.

Bench Impact

New Zealand introduced their impact player, who scored the match-winning score defeating Scotland, and that shows the significance of having players who can make a real impact from the bench.

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

The All Blacks substitute watches the match develop while substituted and thinks regarding ways he can make a difference when he comes on.

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

Positional Debate

Should we develop Smith as that kind of impactful player, then having him among substitutes could be beneficial.

However, currently I believe Marcus represents the solution in the number fifteen position, so that is a role that is still up for grabs.

New Zealand will kick testing the English backfield, therefore it must to be impenetrable.

It is a position that needs transforming into a genuine asset, both defensively while regarding offensive transitions threat.

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

I struggle to identify the benefit of playing him in that position.

I want possession under his control as much as possible, but I believe this should occur among starters, particularly during the last quarter.

Innate Qualities

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

Fin has the ability to make the correct choices under pressure - his instincts represent traits you can really taught.

I remember as he received possession at one stage just inside his territory appearing like it could be on if they spread play.

But in those milliseconds he calculated the team required to turn Fiji round as we are up on the scoreboard, therefore he punted it to pin them back and turn pressure.

This represents the type of fly-half play securing titles while claiming World Cups.

Complete Package

He also has that calmness during intensity to organise teammates around him, while recognizing that he doesn't always need as primary option.

I hope to witness him given the opportunity to show this at elite level next week, similar to George Ford accomplish, particularly during domestic matches repeatedly consistently.

In Argentina, Ford also stood up during challenging circumstances, where historically one might suggest there have been times where he didn't fully delivered during extremely tense matches.

I believe we have two fly-halves capable of performing the job, but with Fin's defence combined with everything else, establishes him as the more complete all-round performer.

Tactical Setup

It also means there's no need to adjust your defensive system while fielding someone aggressive occupying the playmaker position, instead of someone who is a little more reserved.

One might present compelling arguments favoring Ford beginning with Smith entering from substitution.

Numerous factors occurring behind closed doors, however the management choose to proceed, this will present New Zealand difficulties.

This hasn't consistently represented the narrative against the All Blacks, where the focus was simply on picking the right player.

This time, whichever fly-half they choose can put the All Blacks under real pressure.

Smith's capacity selecting the right kick while delivering for a potential territorial gains can take all the stress off the national team.