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According to rugby specialists, Fin Smith has demonstrated why he deserves the starting position as England's number ten versus the All Blacks this weekend.

The Northampton Saints star delivered arguably the best defensive performance observed from an England playmaker for quite some time.

His courageous approach by consistently making his tackles against an aggressive Fijian team was impressive.

His game management proved exceptional - he demonstrated an excellent balance of skill and control, while executing several crucial choices during moments didn't proceed to plan in the first half.

Defensive Excellence and Strategic Command

His ability to settle the team strategically while making important decisions is something he has really mastered.

From my perspective, Fin Smith represents England's primary playmaker and deserves to begin versus New Zealand this weekend.

I believe the manager the England coach views it that way too, because Fin has proven he can perform during important international games.

Team Selection and Competition

The experienced fly-half started the previous weekend against Australia due to captaincy considerations, and part of that choice aimed at ensuring consistency and reward his form from the tour of Argentina.

But England's performance against Fiji represented a marked improvement from the performance versus the Wallabies.

Australia lost in Italy on Saturday, therefore we must avoid becoming too carried away with that win, that could have been by a larger margin given how below par Australia were.

Fiji, by contrast, were much more dangerous and presented a far tougher test.

Future Prospects

Fin Smith remains just twenty-three - projecting forward 24 months, alongside Ford pushing him but also offering support, I believe Smith will find himself in a very strong place in his career.

Marcus Smith must also be regarded as an option when appropriate and versus the right opposition.

He is developing as a player and is starting to find his feet, but he also requires liberty to demonstrate his unique attributes.

Bench Impact

New Zealand brought on their impact player, who registered the decisive try defeating Scotland, demonstrating the importance of having individuals capable of creating a real impact as substitutes.

That kind of player can be the difference between winning a World Cup or not.

McKenzie watches the game develop while substituted and thinks about how he can make a difference when he comes on.

His choices and error rate have enhanced substantially from his initial professional days.

Positional Debate

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

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

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

This role requiring to become a genuine asset, both defensively and in terms offensive transitions threat.

Right now, I don't think Marcus is a full-back at the highest level.

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

I want the ball under his control frequently, though I think that should be in the front line, especially in the final quarter.

Natural Instincts

Clearly there exist a lot of similarities comparing Ford with Smith.

Fin has the ability to make right choices under pressure - his natural reactions represent traits you can really taught.

I remember when he got the ball during one phase just inside his territory and it looked that opportunity existed on if they swung it wide.

However during these split-seconds he calculated they needed to turn Fiji round since England were up on the scoreboard, therefore he punted to pressure the opponents applying the screw.

That's the sort of fly-half play securing championships while claiming global tournaments.

Complete Package

He also has that calmness under pressure to organise teammates nearby, while recognizing that he doesn't always need to be the first option.

I want to see him receiving the opportunity demonstrating this at elite standards soon, just as we have seen the veteran do, particularly during club level repeatedly consistently.

In Argentina, Ford also stood up in difficult situations, previously you could argue occasions existed where he didn't fully done so during extremely tense matches.

I believe England possesses playmaking options who can do the job, though Smith's defence combined with everything else, it makes him the better-rounded versatile player.

Defensive System

This also indicates there's no need to adjust the defensive structure when you have an assertive player in the fly-half position, rather than someone who is somewhat passive.

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

Numerous factors occurring privately, but whichever way the management choose to proceed, it will give the opponents difficulties.

This hasn't consistently represented the situation facing New Zealand, where the focus concentrated solely on selecting the right player.

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

Smith's capacity selecting optimal kicks while delivering for a potential 50-20 might relieve pressure off the national team.