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In expert analysis, Fin Smith has shown that he merits the first-choice spot for the national team's fly-half versus the All Blacks this weekend.

The Northampton Saints star delivered without doubt the best defensive display observed by an English fly-half in several years.

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

His game management was also immense - he demonstrated a perfect blend of skill and control, and made some strong decisions during moments were not going to plan during the opening period.

Tackling Prowess and Strategic Leadership

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

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

I believe head coach Steve Borthwick sees it that way too, because Fin has proven his capability in big Test matches.

Team Selection Amid Rivalry

George Ford started the previous weekend against Australia for leadership reasons, and part of that decision aimed at ensuring consistency while acknowledging his performance from the tour to South America.

However, the national team's performance against Fiji was a significant step up from the performance against Australia.

The Wallabies were defeated in Italy last weekend, therefore we must not get overly excited with that win, that could have been more comprehensive given how off the pace the Australians were.

Fiji, on the other hand, proved significantly threatening and presented a much more difficult challenge.

Long-term Potential

The young playmaker is still only twenty-three - looking ahead 24 months, with Ford pushing him but also offering backup, I think Smith will find himself in a very strong place as a player.

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

He is developing as a player while beginning to find his feet, but he also requires liberty to show his distinctive qualities.

Substitute Influence

The All Blacks introduced Damian McKenzie, who registered the decisive score to beat the Scottish team, demonstrating the importance of having players who can make genuine influence from the bench.

That kind of player can be the difference between winning the global tournament from failure.

The All Blacks substitute watches the game unfold from the bench and thinks regarding ways he can make an impact when he comes on.

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

Positional Debate

If we can get Marcus to be such type of impactful performer, then having him in the backfield might prove valuable.

However, at the moment I don't think Marcus represents the solution at full-back, making it a position that is still up for grabs.

New Zealand will kick 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 danger.

Currently, I believe Marcus functions as full-back in top-tier rugby.

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

I prefer possession under his control as much as possible, though I think this should occur in the front line, especially during the last quarter.

Natural Instincts

Clearly there exist numerous parallels comparing Ford and Fin Smith.

Fin has the capacity to make the correct choices during tense moments - his natural reactions represent traits you can really taught.

I remember when he got possession at one stage just inside his own half and it looked like it could be should they spread play.

But in those split-seconds he calculated they needed to turn Fiji round since England were leading points-wise, so he kicked it to pin the opponents applying pressure.

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

All-round Ability

He also has composure under pressure directing teammates around him, while recognizing that he mustn't constantly serve as primary option.

I hope to witness him receiving the opportunity demonstrating that at the highest level next week, similar to 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 there have been times where he didn't fully done so in the very highest-pressure games.

I think England possesses playmaking options capable of performing the job, but with Fin's defence on top of everything else, establishes him as the better-rounded versatile performer.

Defensive System

This also indicates there's no need to modify the defensive structure while fielding an assertive player occupying the playmaker position, instead of someone who is a little more passive.

You could also make a strong case for Ford starting with Smith entering from substitution.

There are so many considerations that go on behind closed doors, however the management decide to go, it will give the opponents problems.

This hasn't consistently represented the situation against the All Blacks, when attention concentrated solely on picking the right player.

On this occasion, whichever fly-half selected can put New Zealand under real pressure.

Fin's ability selecting the right kick and execute enabling possible 50-20 might relieve pressure off England.