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According to rugby specialists, the young playmaker has demonstrated that he merits the first-choice spot for the national team's number ten versus New Zealand this weekend.

Fin Smith produced arguably the best defensive performance observed from an England playmaker in several years.

How he fronted up by consistently making his tackles versus an aggressive Fiji side was impressive.

His game management proved exceptional - he showed a perfect blend of skill and composure, while executing some strong decisions when things were not going as expected in the first half.

Defensive Excellence Coupled with Tactical Leadership

His ability to settle the squad tactically and make important decisions is something he has truly nailed.

From my perspective, the young fly-half is England's primary fly-half and he should begin versus the All Blacks next week.

I believe the manager the England coach views it that way too, because Fin has demonstrated he can perform in big Test matches.

Team Selection Amid Rivalry

The experienced fly-half began the previous weekend versus the Wallabies due to captaincy reasons, with some aspect of that choice aimed at ensuring consistency while acknowledging his performance from the tour to South America.

However, the national team's performance versus the Pacific Islanders represented a marked step up from the performance versus the Wallabies.

Australia were defeated on Italian soil last weekend, therefore we must avoid becoming overly excited with that win, which should have been by a larger margin considering how off the pace Australia performed.

Fiji, by contrast, proved significantly threatening and presented a far tougher challenge.

Long-term Potential

The young playmaker remains just 23 - looking ahead two years, alongside Ford challenging him but also offering backup, I think Smith will find himself in an excellent position as a player.

Marcus Smith also has to be considered as an option when appropriate and versus the right opposition.

He is developing as a player while beginning to establish himself, though he needs the freedom to demonstrate his unique attributes.

Bench Impact

New Zealand introduced their impact player, who registered the decisive score to beat the Scottish team, demonstrating the importance of having players capable of creating genuine influence from the bench.

That kind of presence can be the difference between winning a World Cup from failure.

McKenzie observes the game unfold while substituted while considering about how to create a difference when he comes on.

His decision-making and error rate have improved significantly from his initial career.

Role Discussion

If we can get Marcus to be such type of impactful player, then having him among substitutes might prove beneficial.

However, at the moment I believe Marcus represents the solution at full-back, making it a position remaining unclaimed.

The All Blacks are likely to punt testing the English backfield, therefore it must remain watertight.

This role that needs to become a genuine asset, in defense and in terms of the counter-attack threat.

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

I struggle to see the advantage fielding him there.

I prefer the ball in his hands as much as possible, though I think that should be among starters, particularly in the final quarter.

Natural Instincts

Clearly there exist a lot of similarities comparing Ford with Smith.

Fin has the capacity executing right decisions under pressure - his instincts represent traits that can be coach.

I remember as he received the ball at one stage just inside his territory and it looked like it could be should they swung it wide.

However during these milliseconds he calculated the team required reversing the opposition as we are up on the scoreboard, so he kicked it to pin the opponents and turn the screw.

That's the sort of playmaking securing championships while claiming global tournaments.

All-round Ability

He also has composure under pressure directing teammates around him, while recognizing that he mustn't always need as primary receiver.

I want to see him receiving the chance demonstrating that at the highest standards soon, similar to the veteran do, particularly during club level repeatedly and week out.

During the South American tour, the experienced fly-half similarly excelled during challenging situations, where historically you could argue occasions existed where he didn't fully done so during extremely tense matches.

I believe we have two fly-halves who can do the job, though Smith's defence combined with additional qualities, it makes him the better-rounded all-round player.

Tactical Setup

It also means there's no need to modify the defensive structure when you have someone aggressive in the fly-half position, rather than an individual being a little more reserved.

You could also make a strong case favoring Ford beginning and Fin Smith entering from substitution.

There are so many considerations occurring behind closed doors, but whichever way the management choose to proceed, this will present New Zealand difficulties.

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

On this occasion, either playmaker they choose will pressure New Zealand significantly.

Smith's capacity selecting the right kick while delivering for a potential 50-20 can take pressure away from the national team.