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According to rugby specialists, Fin Smith has demonstrated why he deserves the starting position for the national team's fly-half against New Zealand 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 defensive hits against a physical Fiji side stood out remarkably.

His game management proved exceptional - he demonstrated a perfect blend of skill and composure, while executing several crucial decisions when things didn't proceed to plan during the opening period.

Defensive Excellence Coupled with Tactical Leadership

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

From my perspective, Fin Smith represents England's primary fly-half and deserves to begin versus the All Blacks next week.

I think head coach the England coach sees it that way too, because Fin has demonstrated he can perform in big international games.

Squad Decisions Amid Rivalry

The experienced fly-half started the previous weekend against Australia due to captaincy considerations, with some aspect of that decision was to provide continuity and reward his performance during the visit to South America.

However, the national team's showing against Fiji represented a marked step up from the performance against Australia.

The Wallabies lost on Italian soil on Saturday, so we should avoid becoming too carried away about that victory, that could have been by a larger margin considering how below par the Australians were.

The Fijian team, on the other hand, were much more threatening while offering a far tougher challenge.

Long-term Potential

The young playmaker remains just 23 - looking ahead 24 months, alongside Ford pushing him while providing backup, I think Smith will find himself in an excellent place as a player.

The Harlequins star must also be considered as an option when appropriate and versus the right opposition.

He is developing in his career and is starting to find his feet, though he requires liberty to demonstrate his unique qualities.

Bench Impact

New Zealand brought on their impact player, who scored the decisive score to beat the Scottish team, and that shows the significance of having players capable of creating a real impact as substitutes.

That kind of player might represent the deciding factor between winning the global tournament or not.

The All Blacks substitute observes the match develop while substituted while considering about how to create a difference upon entering.

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

Role Discussion

Should we develop Marcus to be such type of impactful performer, then having him among substitutes could be beneficial.

However, at the moment I don't think he is the answer at full-back, making it a position that is still unclaimed.

New Zealand are likely to punt testing England's backfield, so it has to be impenetrable.

This role that needs to become a genuine asset, 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 in that position.

I prefer possession in his hands frequently, but I believe this should occur in the front line, particularly during the last quarter.

Innate Qualities

There are obviously a lot of parallels comparing Ford with Smith.

Smith possesses the capacity to make the correct decisions under pressure - his instincts represent traits you can really taught.

I recall as he received the ball during one phase within his territory and it looked that opportunity existed should they spread play.

However during these split-seconds he calculated they needed to turn Fiji round as we are leading points-wise, so he kicked it to pin them back and turn pressure.

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

All-round Ability

He additionally possesses that calmness under pressure directing the players nearby, and the understanding that he doesn't always need as primary option.

I hope to witness him receiving the opportunity demonstrating this at elite level next week, just as we have seen George Ford do, particularly during club level week in and week out.

During the South American tour, the experienced fly-half similarly excelled in difficult situations, where historically you could argue occasions existed he has not quite delivered during extremely tense games.

I believe we have playmaking options who can do the role, but with Fin's defensive work on top of additional qualities, establishes him as the more complete versatile player.

Defensive System

It also means there's no need to modify the defensive structure while fielding an assertive player in the fly-half channel, instead of someone who is a little more reserved.

One might make a strong case favoring Ford beginning with Smith coming off substitution.

Numerous considerations occurring privately, however the management decide to go, it will give the opponents problems.

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

This time, whichever fly-half they choose can put the All Blacks under real pressure.

Smith's capacity selecting optimal kicks while delivering enabling possible 50-20 can take pressure away from the national team.