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According to rugby specialists, the young playmaker has demonstrated why he deserves the starting position as England's fly-half against the All Blacks this weekend.

The Northampton Saints star produced arguably the most impressive defensive display we have seen from an England playmaker in several years.

How he fronted up by consistently making his tackles versus an aggressive Fiji side stood out remarkably.

His tactical control proved exceptional - he demonstrated a perfect blend of finesse and control, and made several crucial decisions during moments didn't proceed as expected in the first half.

Tackling Prowess Coupled with Tactical Command

His ability to settle the squad strategically while making big calls represents an aspect he has truly nailed.

In my opinion, Fin Smith is England's number one playmaker and he should begin against New Zealand this weekend.

I believe head coach the England coach views it similarly as well, since Smith has proven he can perform in big Test matches.

Team Selection and Competition

The experienced fly-half started last Saturday versus the Wallabies for leadership reasons, and part of that choice was to provide consistency and reward his form from the tour of Argentina.

But England's performance against Fiji was a significant improvement from the performance versus the Wallabies.

The Wallabies were defeated in Italy last weekend, so we should not get too carried away about that victory, which should have been by a larger margin considering how below par Australia performed.

The Fijian team, by contrast, proved significantly dangerous while offering a far tougher challenge.

Future Prospects

The young playmaker is still only 23 - looking ahead 24 months, with Ford pushing him but also offering support, I believe Smith will find himself in a very strong position as a player.

The Harlequins star also has to be considered as an option when appropriate and versus suitable opponents.

He's progressing in his career while beginning to establish himself, but he also requires liberty to demonstrate his distinctive qualities.

Bench Impact

New Zealand introduced Damian McKenzie, who registered the match-winning try to beat the Scottish team, and that shows the importance of having individuals who can make a real impact from the bench.

Such type of player might represent the difference separating victory a World Cup or not.

The All Blacks substitute watches the game develop from the bench while considering about how he can make a difference upon entering.

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

Role Discussion

Should we develop Marcus to be that kind of impactful player, then having him among substitutes could be beneficial.

Nonetheless, at the moment I don't think he is the answer in the number fifteen position, making it a position that is still unclaimed.

New Zealand will kick to challenge England's backfield, therefore it must to be impenetrable.

It is a position requiring to become a real strength, in defense while regarding offensive transitions threat.

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

I struggle to see the advantage of playing him there.

I prefer possession under his control as much as possible, though I think that should be among starters, particularly in the final quarter.

Natural Instincts

Clearly there exist a lot of similarities between Ford and Fin Smith.

Smith possesses the capacity executing the correct decisions during tense moments - his natural reactions represent traits you can really taught.

I remember when he got the ball during one phase within his own half and it looked that opportunity existed should they swung it wide.

But in those split-seconds he calculated the team required reversing the opposition as we are up on the scoreboard, therefore he punted it to pin them back applying pressure.

That's the sort of fly-half play securing championships and wins global tournaments.

All-round Ability

He also has that calmness during intensity to organise teammates nearby, and the understanding that he doesn't constantly serve as primary option.

I hope to witness him given the opportunity demonstrating this at elite standards soon, just as we have seen George Ford accomplish, especially at club level week in consistently.

In Argentina, the experienced fly-half also stood up in difficult situations, previously you could argue there have been times where he didn't fully done so during extremely tense matches.

I believe we have two fly-halves capable of performing the job, though Smith's defensive work combined with everything else, establishes him as the more complete all-round performer.

Defensive System

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

One might make a strong case for Ford starting with Smith coming off substitution.

There are so many considerations occurring privately, however the management decide to go, this will present the opponents difficulties.

That has not always been the situation facing New Zealand, where the focus was simply on picking the optimal individual.

This time, either playmaker they choose can put the All Blacks significantly.

Fin's ability to pick optimal kicks and execute enabling possible territorial gains might relieve pressure off England.