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In expert analysis, the young playmaker has shown why he deserves the starting position for the national team's number ten versus the All Blacks on Saturday.

Fin Smith delivered without doubt the best defensive performance we have seen from an England fly-half in several years.

His courageous approach through regularly completing defensive hits against a physical Fiji side stood out remarkably.

His tactical control was also immense - he demonstrated an excellent balance of finesse and control, and made several crucial decisions when things didn't proceed as expected during the opening period.

Defensive Excellence and Strategic Command

His ability to settle the team tactically while making big calls represents an aspect he has truly nailed.

From my perspective, the young fly-half is England's number one playmaker and deserves to start versus New Zealand this weekend.

I think head coach Steve Borthwick sees it similarly too, since Smith has demonstrated his capability in big international games.

Squad Decisions and Competition

The experienced fly-half started the previous weekend versus the Wallabies for leadership considerations, and part of that choice was to provide consistency while acknowledging his form from the tour to South America.

But England's showing versus the Pacific Islanders was a significant improvement compared to the display versus the Wallabies.

The Wallabies lost in Italy last weekend, therefore we must not get too carried away about that victory, which should have been by a larger margin given how off the pace the Australians performed.

Fiji, on the other hand, proved significantly dangerous while offering a far tougher challenge.

Long-term Potential

The young playmaker is still only 23 - projecting forward 24 months, with Ford challenging him while providing backup, I believe Smith will find himself in a very strong position in his career.

Marcus Smith must also be considered as an option at the right time and versus suitable opponents.

He is developing in his career and is starting to find his feet, though he needs the freedom to show his distinctive qualities.

Bench Impact

New Zealand introduced Damian McKenzie, who scored the decisive try defeating Scotland, and that shows the significance of possessing players who can make genuine influence from the bench.

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

McKenzie observes the game unfold from the bench and thinks about how to create a difference when he comes on.

His choices and error rate have improved substantially since his early professional days.

Positional Debate

If we can get Marcus as such type of impactful player, including him in the backfield might prove valuable.

Nonetheless, currently I believe he represents the solution at full-back, so that is a role that is still unclaimed.

New Zealand are likely to punt to challenge England's backfield, so it has remain impenetrable.

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

Right now, I believe Marcus functions as full-back at the highest level.

I find it difficult to identify the advantage 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 numerous similarities comparing Ford with Smith.

Smith possesses the capacity executing the correct decisions under pressure - his instincts represent traits you can really coach.

I recall as he received the ball during one phase within his territory and it looked that opportunity existed should they spread play.

However during these split-seconds he calculated they needed reversing the opposition since England were leading points-wise, so he kicked it to pin them back and turn the screw.

This represents the type of playmaking that wins championships while claiming global tournaments.

Complete Package

He additionally possesses that calmness under pressure directing teammates around him, and the understanding that he doesn't constantly serve to be the first option.

I hope to witness him receiving the chance demonstrating this at elite standards soon, similar to George Ford accomplish, especially at club level week in and week out.

During the South American tour, Ford similarly excelled during challenging circumstances, previously one might suggest occasions existed he has not quite done so during extremely tense matches.

I believe England possesses playmaking options who can do the role, but with Fin's defence combined with everything else, establishes him as the better-rounded all-round performer.

Defensive System

This also indicates you don't have to adjust your defensive system while fielding an assertive player occupying the playmaker channel, instead of an individual being somewhat reserved.

You could also make a strong case favoring Ford beginning and Fin Smith coming off substitution.

There are so many factors that go on behind closed doors, but whichever way the management decide to go, this will present the opponents difficulties.

That has not always been the situation against the All Blacks, when attention was simply on selecting the optimal individual.

This time, whichever fly-half they choose can put New Zealand under real pressure.

Smith's capacity to pick optimal kicks while delivering for a potential territorial gains can take pressure away from the national team.