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

Fin Smith produced arguably the best defensive performance we have seen from an England fly-half for quite some time.

How he fronted up by consistently making his tackles against an aggressive Fiji side was impressive.

His tactical control proved exceptional - he showed an excellent balance of finesse and composure, and made some strong decisions when things were not going as expected in the first half.

Tackling Prowess and Strategic Command

His capacity to settle the squad tactically and make important decisions represents an aspect he has truly mastered.

In my opinion, Fin Smith represents England's primary playmaker and he should start against the All Blacks this weekend.

I think head coach Steve Borthwick views it that way too, since Smith has proven his capability during important international games.

Team Selection and Competition

The experienced fly-half began the previous weekend versus the Wallabies for leadership considerations, with some aspect of that choice was to provide consistency while acknowledging his performance during the visit to South America.

However, the national team's performance against Fiji represented a marked improvement compared to the display versus the Wallabies.

The Wallabies lost on Italian soil on Saturday, so we should avoid becoming too carried away with that win, which should have been by a larger margin given how off the pace Australia performed.

Fiji, on the other hand, proved significantly dangerous 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 while providing backup, I believe Smith will find himself in a very strong position as a player.

The Harlequins star also has to be regarded as an option at the right time and versus the right opposition.

He is developing as a player while beginning to find his feet, but he also needs the freedom to demonstrate his unique qualities.

Bench Impact

New Zealand introduced Damian McKenzie, who scored the decisive score defeating the Scottish team, and that shows the significance of having individuals capable of creating genuine influence as substitutes.

Such type of presence can be the deciding factor between winning the global tournament from failure.

The All Blacks substitute observes the match unfold while substituted and thinks about how he can make a difference when he comes on.

His decision-making and mistake frequency have enhanced significantly from his initial career.

Positional Debate

Should we develop Smith as such type influential player, including him in the backfield could be valuable.

Nonetheless, at the moment I believe he is the answer in the number fifteen position, making it a position that is still unclaimed.

New Zealand are likely to punt to challenge England's defensive line, therefore it must to be watertight.

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

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

I find it difficult to identify the advantage of playing him there.

I want possession under his control as much as possible, but I believe that should be in the front line, particularly during the last quarter.

Innate Qualities

There are obviously a lot of similarities between Ford and Fin Smith.

Smith possesses the ability to make the correct choices under pressure - his instincts are not something you can really coach.

I recall when he got the ball at one stage within his own half and it looked like it could be on if they spread play.

However during these split-seconds he calculated the team required reversing the opposition as we are up on the scoreboard, therefore he punted to pressure them back applying pressure.

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

Complete Package

He also has composure under pressure to organise the players nearby, and the understanding that he doesn't constantly serve to be the first receiver.

I hope to witness him receiving the opportunity to show that at the highest standards soon, similar to the veteran accomplish, particularly during club level repeatedly and week out.

During the South American tour, the experienced fly-half similarly excelled during challenging circumstances, where historically you could argue there have been times where he didn't fully delivered during extremely tense games.

I think England possesses playmaking options who can do the job, but with Fin's defensive work combined with everything else, it makes him the better-rounded versatile performer.

Defensive System

It also means there's no need to adjust your defensive system when you have an assertive player in the fly-half channel, rather than someone who is a little more passive.

One might present compelling arguments favoring Ford beginning and Fin Smith coming off substitution.

Numerous considerations that go on behind closed doors, but whichever way the coaches choose to proceed, it will give the opponents difficulties.

That has not always been the situation facing New Zealand, where the focus was simply on selecting the right player.

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

Fin's ability to pick optimal kicks and execute for a potential territorial gains can take pressure away from England.