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In expert analysis, Fin Smith has shown why he deserves the starting position for the national team's fly-half against New Zealand this weekend.

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

His courageous approach by consistently making his tackles versus a physical Fiji side was impressive.

His game management proved exceptional - he showed a perfect blend of finesse and control, while executing several crucial decisions when things didn't proceed as expected during the opening period.

Tackling Prowess Coupled with Tactical Command

His ability to calm the team strategically and make big calls represents an aspect he has really mastered.

In my opinion, Fin Smith is England's primary playmaker and deserves to begin against the All Blacks next week.

I believe the manager the England coach views it similarly too, because Fin has proven his capability in big Test matches.

Team Selection and Competition

The experienced fly-half began last Saturday against Australia due to captaincy reasons, with some aspect of that choice was to provide consistency while acknowledging his form during the visit to South America.

But England's performance versus the Pacific Islanders was a significant step up compared to the display versus the Wallabies.

Australia lost on Italian soil 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 the Australians were.

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

Future Prospects

Fin Smith remains just 23 - looking ahead 24 months, alongside Ford challenging him while providing support, I think Fin will be in a very strong position as a player.

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

He's progressing in his career and is starting to establish himself, though he needs the freedom to show his unique qualities.

Bench Impact

New Zealand introduced their impact player, who scored the decisive try to beat Scotland, and that shows the importance of possessing individuals who can make genuine influence from the bench.

Such type of presence can be the difference between winning the global tournament or not.

McKenzie observes the match develop while substituted and thinks about how he can make a difference upon entering.

His choices and mistake frequency have enhanced substantially since his early professional days.

Positional Debate

Should we develop Marcus to be such type influential performer, including him in the backfield could be valuable.

Nonetheless, at the moment I don't think he represents the solution at full-back, so that is a position that is still up for grabs.

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

This role that needs transforming into a real strength, both defensively and in terms of the counter-attack threat.

Currently, I don't think Smith is a full-back at the highest level.

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

I want the ball in his hands frequently, though I think this should occur among starters, especially during the last quarter.

Innate Qualities

There are obviously numerous similarities comparing Ford with Smith.

Fin has the capacity executing right decisions during tense moments - his natural reactions are not something you can really coach.

I remember as he received the ball during one phase within his territory appearing that opportunity existed on if they swung it wide.

But in those milliseconds he thought they needed reversing Fiji round as we are leading points-wise, therefore he punted it to pin them back applying pressure.

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

Complete Package

He also has composure under pressure to organise teammates around him, while recognizing that he mustn't always need as primary receiver.

I hope to witness him receiving the chance to show that at the highest level next week, similar to the veteran do, especially at club level repeatedly and week out.

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

I believe we have two fly-halves who can do the role, but with Fin's defence combined with additional qualities, it makes him the more complete all-round player.

Defensive System

This also indicates there's no need to modify your defensive system while fielding someone aggressive occupying the playmaker channel, rather than an individual being a little more passive.

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

There are so many considerations occurring privately, but whichever way the management decide to go, it will give New Zealand problems.

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

On this occasion, whichever fly-half they choose will pressure the All Blacks significantly.

Smith's capacity selecting the right kick and execute for a potential territorial gains can take all the stress off England.