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According to rugby specialists, Fin Smith has shown that he merits the starting position as England's number ten against New Zealand on Saturday.

The Northampton Saints star produced arguably the best defensive display we have seen from an England playmaker for quite some time.

His courageous approach through regularly completing defensive hits against an aggressive Fijian team stood out remarkably.

His game management proved exceptional - he showed an excellent balance of skill 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 calm the squad strategically while making important decisions represents an aspect he has really mastered.

In my opinion, the young fly-half is England's number one fly-half and deserves to begin against New Zealand next week.

I think the manager the England coach sees it similarly too, because Fin has demonstrated he can perform during important Test matches.

Squad Decisions Amid Rivalry

The experienced fly-half started the previous weekend against Australia for leadership reasons, and part of that choice was to provide consistency while acknowledging his performance from the tour of Argentina.

However, the national team's performance versus the Pacific Islanders represented a marked improvement from the performance against Australia.

The Wallabies lost in Italy on Saturday, so we should avoid becoming too carried away with that win, which should have been by a larger margin considering how below par Australia performed.

Fiji, on the other hand, were much more dangerous while offering a much more difficult challenge.

Long-term Potential

Fin Smith is still only twenty-three - looking ahead two years, alongside Ford challenging him while providing support, I believe Fin will be in a very strong position as a player.

Marcus Smith must also be regarded as a possibility when appropriate and against suitable opponents.

He is developing as a player and is starting to establish himself, but he also requires liberty to show his unique qualities.

Bench Impact

New Zealand brought on their impact player, who registered the match-winning score to beat Scotland, demonstrating the importance of possessing individuals who can make a real impact from the bench.

That kind of player might represent the deciding factor separating victory a World Cup from failure.

McKenzie observes the match unfold from the bench while considering regarding ways to create an impact when he comes on.

His decision-making and mistake frequency have enhanced significantly since his early professional days.

Role Discussion

Should we develop Marcus as such type of impactful player, then having him among substitutes might prove valuable.

However, at the moment I don't think he represents the solution at full-back, making it a role remaining up for grabs.

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

This role that needs to become a real strength, both defensively while regarding of the counter-attack threat.

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

I find it difficult to see the benefit fielding him in that position.

I want the ball under his control as much as possible, though I think this should occur among starters, particularly during the last 20 minutes.

Innate Qualities

There are obviously numerous parallels comparing Ford and Fin Smith.

Fin has the capacity executing the correct choices under pressure - his natural reactions represent traits that can be coach.

I remember when he got possession during one phase just inside his territory appearing like it could be on if they swung it wide.

However during these milliseconds he thought they needed to turn the opposition since England were leading points-wise, so he kicked to pressure the opponents and turn pressure.

This represents the type of playmaking securing titles while claiming global tournaments.

All-round Ability

He also has that calmness under pressure to organise teammates nearby, while recognizing that he doesn't always need to be the first option.

I want to see him receiving the chance to show this at elite level next week, similar to George Ford do, particularly during club level repeatedly and week out.

In Argentina, the experienced fly-half similarly excelled during challenging circumstances, where historically you could argue there have been times where he didn't fully done so during extremely tense games.

I think England possesses playmaking options who can do the job, but with Fin's defensive work on top of additional qualities, it makes him the better-rounded all-round performer.

Defensive System

It also means there's no need to modify your defensive system while fielding someone aggressive in the fly-half position, rather than someone who is a little more passive.

One might make a strong case favoring Ford beginning and Fin Smith coming off substitution.

There are so many factors occurring behind closed doors, however the coaches choose to proceed, it will give the opponents problems.

That has not always been the narrative facing New Zealand, when attention was simply on selecting the right player.

This time, either playmaker selected will pressure the All Blacks under real pressure.

Smith's capacity selecting the right kick and execute enabling possible 50-20 might relieve pressure away from England.