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According to rugby specialists, the young playmaker has shown why he deserves the first-choice spot as England'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 for quite some time.

How he fronted up by consistently making his tackles against a physical Fijian team stood out remarkably.

His tactical control was also immense - he showed an excellent balance of finesse and control, and made some strong choices when things didn't proceed to plan in the first half.

Defensive Excellence and Strategic Leadership

His capacity to calm the squad tactically and make important decisions is something he has really mastered.

From my perspective, the young fly-half is England's number one fly-half and he should begin against the All Blacks this weekend.

I think head coach the England coach views it similarly too, because Fin has proven he can perform in big Test matches.

Squad Decisions Amid Rivalry

The experienced fly-half started last Saturday against Australia due to captaincy reasons, with some aspect of that choice was to provide consistency and reward his performance during the visit to South America.

But England's showing versus the Pacific Islanders was a significant step up from the performance versus the Wallabies.

The Wallabies lost in Italy on Saturday, therefore we must not get overly excited with that win, which should have been more comprehensive given how off the pace the Australians performed.

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

Future Prospects

Fin Smith is still only twenty-three - projecting forward two years, alongside Ford pushing him while providing support, I think Fin will be in a very strong position as a player.

The Harlequins star also has to be regarded as an option at the right time and against the right opposition.

He is developing in his career while beginning to find his feet, but he also needs the freedom to demonstrate his distinctive attributes.

Substitute Influence

The All Blacks introduced their impact player, who registered the match-winning try defeating Scotland, and that shows the importance of possessing individuals capable of creating genuine influence as substitutes.

That kind of player might represent the deciding factor between winning the global tournament from failure.

McKenzie watches the game unfold from the bench while considering regarding ways he can make a difference upon entering.

His choices and error rate have improved significantly from his initial career.

Positional Debate

Should we develop Marcus as such type of impactful performer, including him among substitutes might prove beneficial.

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

New Zealand are likely to punt testing England's defensive line, so it has remain impenetrable.

It is a position that needs to become a genuine asset, in defense and in terms of the counter-attack threat.

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

I struggle to identify the benefit fielding him in that position.

I want possession under his control frequently, though I think that should be among starters, especially in the final 20 minutes.

Natural Instincts

There are obviously a lot of parallels comparing Ford and Fin Smith.

Fin has the ability executing the correct decisions under pressure - his instincts represent traits that can be coach.

I recall as he received the ball during one phase just inside his own half and it looked that opportunity existed on if they spread play.

However during these split-seconds he thought they needed reversing the opposition since England were up on the scoreboard, therefore he punted it to pin the opponents applying the screw.

This represents the type of fly-half play that wins championships while claiming World Cups.

All-round Ability

He additionally possesses composure during intensity to organise teammates nearby, while recognizing that he mustn't constantly serve as primary receiver.

I hope to witness him receiving the chance to show that at the highest standards soon, just as we have seen the veteran do, particularly during domestic matches week in and week out.

In Argentina, Ford similarly excelled in difficult situations, where historically you could argue occasions existed where he didn't fully done so during extremely tense games.

I think we have playmaking options who can do the job, but with Fin's defence combined with everything else, it makes him the better-rounded versatile player.

Defensive System

It also means there's no need to modify your defensive system when you have an assertive player in the fly-half position, instead of an individual being somewhat reserved.

One might present compelling arguments for Ford starting and Fin Smith entering from the bench.

Numerous considerations that go on behind closed doors, however the coaches decide to go, this will present New Zealand difficulties.

That has not always been the narrative facing New Zealand, when attention concentrated solely on picking the optimal individual.

On this occasion, whichever fly-half they choose will pressure the All Blacks significantly.

Smith's capacity to pick optimal kicks and execute enabling possible territorial gains might relieve pressure off the national team.