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According to rugby specialists, the young playmaker has demonstrated that he merits the starting position for the national team's number ten against the All Blacks this weekend.

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

How he fronted up through regularly completing his tackles against a physical Fijian team stood out remarkably.

His tactical control was also immense - he showed a perfect blend of finesse and control, while executing several crucial choices when things were not going to plan during the opening period.

Defensive Excellence Coupled with Tactical Leadership

His capacity to calm the squad tactically while making important decisions represents an aspect he has truly mastered.

In my opinion, the young fly-half is England's primary fly-half and deserves to begin against the All Blacks next week.

I believe the manager the England coach sees it that way as well, because Fin has proven he can perform during important international games.

Squad Decisions Amid Rivalry

The experienced fly-half started the previous weekend versus the Wallabies due to captaincy reasons, and part of that choice aimed at ensuring continuity while acknowledging his form during the visit of Argentina.

But England's showing versus the Pacific Islanders represented a marked step up from the performance against Australia.

Australia lost on Italian soil on Saturday, so we should avoid becoming overly excited with that win, which should have been by a larger margin considering how below par the Australians performed.

The Fijian team, by contrast, were much more dangerous while offering a far tougher test.

Long-term Potential

Fin Smith remains just 23 - projecting forward 24 months, alongside Ford challenging him but also offering backup, I think Fin will be in a very strong position as a player.

Marcus Smith also has to be regarded as a possibility when appropriate and versus suitable opponents.

He's progressing in his career while beginning to establish himself, though he needs the freedom to show his unique attributes.

Bench Impact

New Zealand introduced Damian McKenzie, who registered the decisive score defeating the Scottish team, and that shows the importance of having players who can make genuine influence from the bench.

Such type of player might represent the deciding factor between winning the global tournament from failure.

The All Blacks substitute watches the match develop from the bench and thinks regarding ways to create an impact upon entering.

His choices and error rate have enhanced substantially since his early career.

Positional Debate

If we can get Smith to be that kind of impactful performer, including him among substitutes might prove beneficial.

Nonetheless, currently I don't think he represents the solution in the number fifteen position, so that is a role remaining unclaimed.

New Zealand will kick testing the English defensive line, therefore it must to be watertight.

It is a position that needs transforming into a real strength, in defense and in terms of the counter-attack threat.

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

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

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

Natural Instincts

There are obviously a lot of similarities comparing Ford with Smith.

Smith possesses the ability executing the correct decisions under pressure - his natural reactions represent traits you can really taught.

I recall as he received possession at one stage just inside his territory appearing that opportunity existed should they swung it wide.

But in those milliseconds he calculated they needed to turn Fiji round as we are leading points-wise, so he kicked it to pin the opponents and turn the screw.

This represents the type of fly-half play securing championships and wins World Cups.

Complete Package

He additionally possesses that calmness under pressure to organise the players nearby, and the understanding that he mustn't always need to be the first receiver.

I hope to witness him receiving the chance demonstrating that at the highest level next week, similar to the veteran do, particularly during club level week in consistently.

In Argentina, the experienced fly-half also stood up in difficult circumstances, previously one might suggest there have been times where he didn't fully done so during extremely tense games.

I believe we have playmaking options who can do the role, though Smith's defence on top of additional qualities, establishes him as the better-rounded all-round player.

Defensive System

This also indicates you don't have to adjust your defensive system while fielding someone aggressive in the fly-half channel, rather than an individual being a little more passive.

You could also present compelling arguments for Ford starting and Fin Smith entering from substitution.

Numerous factors occurring privately, however the management choose to proceed, this will present the opponents problems.

This hasn't consistently represented the situation facing New Zealand, when attention was simply on selecting the optimal individual.

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

Fin's ability selecting the right kick while delivering for a potential 50-20 might relieve pressure away from England.