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In expert analysis, the young playmaker has demonstrated that he merits the first-choice spot as England's fly-half versus the All Blacks on Saturday.

Fin Smith delivered without doubt the most impressive defensive display observed by an English playmaker in several years.

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

His game management proved exceptional - he demonstrated a perfect blend of finesse and control, and made some strong decisions during moments were not going as expected during the opening period.

Defensive Excellence and Strategic Command

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

In my opinion, Fin Smith represents England's number one playmaker and he should start against New Zealand next week.

I think the manager Steve Borthwick views it that way too, since Smith has demonstrated he can perform in big international games.

Team Selection and Competition

George Ford started the previous weekend against Australia for leadership considerations, and part of that decision aimed at ensuring consistency while acknowledging his performance from the tour of Argentina.

However, the national team's performance against Fiji was a significant improvement compared to the display versus the Wallabies.

The Wallabies were defeated in Italy on Saturday, therefore we must not get too carried away with that win, that could have been by a larger margin considering how below par the Australians were.

Fiji, by contrast, were much more threatening while offering a much more difficult test.

Long-term Potential

The young playmaker is still only 23 - looking ahead 24 months, alongside Ford pushing him but also offering backup, I believe Fin will be in a very strong position as a player.

Marcus Smith must also be considered as a possibility at the right time and versus the right opposition.

He is developing in his career and is starting to find his feet, but he also needs the freedom to demonstrate his unique qualities.

Substitute Influence

New Zealand introduced Damian McKenzie, who registered the match-winning try to beat the Scottish team, demonstrating the significance of having individuals capable of creating genuine influence as substitutes.

Such type of player might represent the difference separating victory a World Cup from failure.

McKenzie observes the match develop from the bench while considering about how he can make an impact upon entering.

His decision-making and error rate have enhanced substantially from his initial professional days.

Role Discussion

If we can get Smith as such type influential performer, including him in the backfield could be valuable.

However, at the moment I believe Marcus is the answer at full-back, making it a role remaining unclaimed.

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

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

Right now, I don't think Marcus is a full-back at the highest level.

I struggle to see the benefit fielding him there.

I prefer possession under his control frequently, though I think this should occur among starters, particularly in the final 20 minutes.

Natural Instincts

Clearly there exist numerous parallels comparing Ford and Fin Smith.

Fin has the capacity to make the correct choices under pressure - his instincts are not something you can really coach.

I recall as he received possession at one stage within his territory appearing like it could be on if they swung it wide.

However during these split-seconds he thought they needed reversing the opposition as we are up on the scoreboard, therefore he punted it to pin them back applying pressure.

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

Complete Package

He also has composure under pressure directing the players around him, while recognizing that he doesn't always need to be the first receiver.

I hope to witness him given the opportunity demonstrating that at the highest standards soon, just as we have seen the veteran accomplish, particularly during club level repeatedly consistently.

During the South American tour, the experienced fly-half also stood up in difficult situations, where historically you could argue there have been times he has not quite delivered during extremely tense games.

I think England possesses two fly-halves who can do the role, but with Fin's defensive work on top of additional qualities, it makes him the more complete versatile player.

Tactical Setup

This also indicates there's no need to adjust your defensive system when you have someone aggressive occupying the playmaker channel, rather than someone who is somewhat passive.

You could also present compelling arguments favoring Ford beginning with Smith coming off the bench.

There are so many considerations occurring privately, but whichever way the coaches decide to go, this will present New Zealand problems.

That has not always been the situation against the All Blacks, where the focus concentrated solely on selecting the right player.

This time, whichever fly-half they choose can put the All Blacks significantly.

Smith's capacity to pick optimal kicks while delivering enabling possible territorial gains can take pressure off England.