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According to rugby specialists, Fin Smith has shown why he deserves the starting position as England's fly-half against New Zealand this weekend.

Fin Smith delivered without doubt the best defensive performance observed by an English playmaker in several years.

How he fronted up through regularly completing his tackles versus an aggressive Fijian team was impressive.

His tactical control proved exceptional - he showed a perfect blend of finesse and control, and made several crucial choices when things didn't proceed as expected during the opening period.

Defensive Excellence and Strategic Command

His capacity to calm the team tactically while making big calls is something he has truly mastered.

From my perspective, the young fly-half represents England's primary playmaker and he should begin against the All Blacks this weekend.

I believe head coach Steve Borthwick sees it that way as well, since Smith has proven his capability during important Test matches.

Team Selection and Competition

George Ford started the previous weekend against Australia due to captaincy considerations, and part of that decision aimed at ensuring continuity and reward his performance from the tour of Argentina.

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

The Wallabies were defeated in Italy on Saturday, so we should not get overly excited about that victory, that could have been more comprehensive considering how off the pace Australia were.

The Fijian team, by contrast, proved significantly threatening while offering a much more difficult challenge.

Long-term Potential

Fin Smith remains just 23 - projecting forward two years, with Ford pushing him while providing support, I believe Smith will find himself in a very strong place as a player.

The Harlequins star also has to be considered as an option when appropriate and against the right opposition.

He's progressing as a player while beginning to establish himself, but he also needs the freedom to show his distinctive attributes.

Substitute Influence

The All Blacks introduced their impact player, who registered the match-winning try to beat the Scottish team, and that shows the importance of possessing individuals who can make a real impact as substitutes.

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

McKenzie observes the game develop from the bench and thinks regarding ways he can make a difference upon entering.

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

Positional Debate

If we can get Marcus as such type of impactful player, including him among substitutes might prove beneficial.

However, at the moment I believe Marcus is the answer in the number fifteen position, so that is a position that is still up for grabs.

New Zealand are likely to punt testing the English defensive line, therefore it must remain impenetrable.

It is a position that needs transforming into a genuine asset, in defense and in terms of the counter-attack danger.

Currently, I don't think Smith functions as full-back at the highest level.

I struggle to see the advantage of playing him in that position.

I want the ball in his hands as much as possible, though I think this should occur in the front line, particularly in the final quarter.

Innate Qualities

Clearly there exist a lot of parallels comparing Ford and Fin Smith.

Fin has the ability to make the correct decisions during tense moments - his natural reactions are not something you can really taught.

I remember when he got possession at one stage within his territory and it looked that opportunity existed on if they spread play.

However during these milliseconds he thought the team required to turn the opposition as we are up on the scoreboard, so he kicked to pressure them back and turn pressure.

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

Complete Package

He also has composure under pressure to organise the players around him, and the understanding that he mustn't always need to be the first option.

I want to see him given the chance to show this at elite level next week, similar to 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 done so during extremely tense matches.

I believe England possesses playmaking options capable of performing the role, but with Fin's defence combined with everything else, establishes him as the more complete all-round player.

Defensive System

It also means you don't have to modify the defensive structure while fielding someone aggressive occupying the playmaker position, rather than someone who is somewhat passive.

One might present compelling arguments favoring Ford beginning and Fin Smith coming off substitution.

Numerous considerations occurring privately, however the management decide to go, this will present the opponents difficulties.

This hasn't consistently represented the situation facing New Zealand, where the focus was simply on picking the right player.

On this occasion, whichever fly-half they choose can put the All Blacks under real pressure.

Fin's ability selecting optimal kicks while delivering for a potential 50-20 might relieve all the stress off the national team.