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According to rugby specialists, the young playmaker has shown that he merits the first-choice spot as England's number ten versus the All Blacks on Saturday.

Fin Smith delivered arguably the best defensive display observed by an English playmaker in several years.

How he fronted up through regularly completing defensive hits against an aggressive Fijian team was impressive.

His tactical control was also immense - he showed a perfect blend of skill and composure, while executing some strong choices during moments didn't proceed to plan in the first half.

Tackling Prowess Coupled with Tactical Leadership

His capacity to calm the team strategically and make important decisions is something he has truly nailed.

From my perspective, the young fly-half represents England's number one playmaker and he should begin versus the All Blacks next week.

I believe the manager Steve Borthwick sees it similarly as well, since Smith has proven his capability during important Test matches.

Team Selection Amid Rivalry

The experienced fly-half began last Saturday against Australia due to captaincy reasons, with some aspect of that decision was to provide continuity while acknowledging his form from the tour to South America.

But England's performance versus the Pacific Islanders represented a marked step up compared to the display versus the Wallabies.

The Wallabies lost on Italian soil last weekend, so we should not get overly excited about that victory, which should have been more comprehensive considering how below par Australia performed.

The Fijian team, by contrast, proved significantly dangerous and presented a much more difficult challenge.

Future Prospects

The young playmaker is still only 23 - looking ahead 24 months, alongside Ford pushing him but also offering backup, I think 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 the right opposition.

He's progressing in his career and is starting to find his feet, but he also requires liberty to show his distinctive qualities.

Substitute Influence

The All Blacks brought on Damian McKenzie, who scored the match-winning score defeating Scotland, and that shows the importance of possessing players who can make genuine influence from the bench.

Such type of player can be the deciding factor between winning the global tournament from failure.

The All Blacks substitute watches the game develop while substituted and thinks regarding ways he can make a difference upon entering.

His decision-making and mistake frequency have enhanced substantially from his initial career.

Positional Debate

Should we develop Marcus as that kind of impactful performer, then having him in the backfield might prove valuable.

Nonetheless, at the moment I don't think he is the answer at full-back, so that is a role that is still unclaimed.

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

This role requiring transforming into a real strength, both defensively and in terms offensive transitions threat.

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

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

I want the ball in his hands as much as possible, but I believe this should occur among starters, especially during the last 20 minutes.

Natural Instincts

There are obviously numerous similarities between Ford with Smith.

Smith possesses the ability to make the correct choices under pressure - his instincts represent traits you can really coach.

I remember as he received possession during one phase within his territory and it looked like it could be on if they spread play.

However during these split-seconds he thought the team required to turn Fiji round since England were up on the scoreboard, therefore he punted to pressure the opponents applying pressure.

That's the sort of playmaking securing titles and wins global tournaments.

All-round Ability

He also has that calmness under pressure to organise the players around him, while recognizing that he doesn't constantly serve to be the first option.

I want to see him given the chance to show that at the highest level next week, just as we have seen the veteran accomplish, particularly during domestic matches repeatedly and week out.

During the South American tour, Ford similarly excelled in difficult circumstances, where historically you could argue occasions existed where he didn't fully done so during extremely tense matches.

I believe England possesses two fly-halves who can do the job, but with Fin's defence on top of everything else, it makes him the better-rounded versatile performer.

Defensive System

This also indicates you don't have to modify the defensive structure while fielding an assertive player in the fly-half channel, instead of someone who is a little more passive.

One might make a strong case for Ford starting with Smith entering from the bench.

There are so many considerations that go on behind closed doors, however the coaches choose to proceed, it will give the opponents difficulties.

This hasn't consistently represented the narrative against the All Blacks, where the focus concentrated solely on picking the optimal individual.

This time, whichever fly-half selected will pressure New Zealand under real pressure.

Fin's ability selecting the right kick and execute for a potential territorial gains might relieve all the stress off England.