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In expert analysis, the young playmaker has demonstrated that he merits the first-choice spot as England's number ten against the All Blacks on Saturday.

Fin Smith delivered arguably the most impressive defensive performance observed from an England playmaker in several years.

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

His tactical control was also immense - he demonstrated an excellent balance of finesse and composure, and made several crucial decisions during moments were not going as expected during the opening period.

Tackling Prowess and Strategic Leadership

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

From my perspective, Fin Smith represents England's primary playmaker and deserves to begin against New Zealand next week.

I think the manager the England coach sees it similarly too, since Smith has demonstrated he can perform in big Test matches.

Team Selection and Competition

The experienced fly-half started last Saturday versus the Wallabies due to captaincy reasons, with some aspect of that decision was to provide consistency and reward his performance during the visit of Argentina.

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

The Wallabies were defeated on Italian soil on Saturday, therefore we must not get overly excited with that win, that could have been more comprehensive considering how below par the Australians performed.

Fiji, by contrast, proved significantly dangerous while offering a far tougher test.

Future Prospects

The young playmaker remains just twenty-three - projecting forward two years, with Ford pushing him while providing backup, I believe Smith will find himself in a very strong place as a player.

Marcus Smith also has to be regarded as an option at the right time and against the right opposition.

He is developing in his career and is starting to find his feet, though he needs the freedom to demonstrate his distinctive qualities.

Bench Impact

New Zealand brought on their impact player, who scored the decisive score 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 presence can be the difference separating victory a World Cup or not.

The All Blacks substitute watches the game develop while substituted and thinks about how he can make an impact when he comes on.

His choices and error rate have enhanced substantially since his early professional days.

Positional Debate

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

Nonetheless, currently I believe he represents the solution in the number fifteen position, so that is a position that is still unclaimed.

The All Blacks will kick testing the English backfield, so it has remain watertight.

It is a position that needs to become a real strength, in defense and in terms of the counter-attack danger.

Right now, I believe Smith functions as full-back at the highest level.

I find it difficult to identify the advantage fielding him in that position.

I prefer possession in his hands as much as possible, but I believe that should be among starters, particularly during the last 20 minutes.

Natural Instincts

There are obviously numerous parallels comparing Ford and Fin Smith.

Fin has the capacity to make right choices during tense moments - his instincts represent traits you can really taught.

I recall when he got the ball during one phase within his territory appearing like it could be on if they spread play.

However during these split-seconds he calculated they needed reversing the opposition since England were leading points-wise, so he kicked it to pin the opponents applying the screw.

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

All-round Ability

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

I want to see him given the chance demonstrating that at the highest level next week, just as we have seen George Ford do, especially at domestic matches repeatedly consistently.

During the South American tour, Ford similarly excelled in difficult circumstances, where historically one might suggest there have been times where he didn't fully delivered during extremely tense matches.

I think England possesses playmaking options who can do the job, though Smith's defence combined with additional qualities, it makes him the more complete versatile performer.

Tactical Setup

It also means there's no need to adjust your defensive system while fielding someone aggressive in the fly-half channel, instead of an individual being somewhat reserved.

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

There are so many considerations that go on privately, but whichever way the coaches choose to proceed, it will give New Zealand problems.

That has not always been the narrative against the All Blacks, where the focus was simply on picking the optimal individual.

On this occasion, whichever fly-half they choose can put New Zealand significantly.

Fin's ability selecting the right kick while delivering enabling possible territorial gains can take all the stress away from England.