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In expert analysis, Fin Smith has demonstrated why he deserves the first-choice spot for the national team's number ten versus New Zealand this weekend.

Fin Smith delivered without doubt the most impressive defensive performance observed by an English fly-half in several years.

His courageous approach through regularly completing defensive hits against an aggressive Fijian team stood out remarkably.

His tactical control proved exceptional - he demonstrated a perfect blend of finesse and composure, and made some strong decisions when things were not going to plan during the opening period.

Tackling Prowess Coupled with Tactical Command

His capacity to calm the squad tactically while making big calls is something he has truly nailed.

From my perspective, the young fly-half is England's number one fly-half and he should start versus the All Blacks this weekend.

I think head coach Steve Borthwick sees it that way too, since Smith has proven he can perform in big international games.

Team Selection and Competition

George Ford started last Saturday against Australia due to captaincy considerations, with some aspect of that decision was to provide consistency while acknowledging his form during the visit of Argentina.

However, the national team's showing versus the Pacific Islanders was a significant improvement from the performance versus the Wallabies.

Australia were defeated in Italy last weekend, therefore we must not get overly excited with that win, which should have been by a larger margin considering how off the pace the Australians performed.

Fiji, by contrast, were much more threatening and presented a far tougher challenge.

Future Prospects

Fin Smith remains just 23 - looking ahead two years, alongside Ford challenging him while providing backup, I believe Fin will be in an excellent place in his career.

Marcus Smith must also be regarded as an option when appropriate and against the right opposition.

He's progressing in his career while beginning to find his feet, but he also requires liberty to demonstrate his distinctive attributes.

Substitute Influence

New Zealand brought on Damian McKenzie, who registered the match-winning try to beat the Scottish team, and that shows the importance of having individuals capable of creating a real impact as substitutes.

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

The All Blacks substitute observes the game unfold while substituted and thinks regarding ways he can make an impact when he comes on.

His decision-making and error rate have enhanced significantly since his early professional days.

Positional Debate

Should we develop Marcus as that kind influential performer, including him among substitutes could be beneficial.

Nonetheless, at the moment I believe Marcus is the answer at full-back, making it a position that is still unclaimed.

The All Blacks will kick testing the English backfield, therefore it must remain impenetrable.

It is a position requiring to become a genuine asset, both defensively and in terms of the counter-attack threat.

Right now, I don't think Marcus functions as full-back in top-tier rugby.

I struggle to see the advantage of playing him in that position.

I prefer the ball under his control frequently, though I think this should occur in the front line, particularly during the last 20 minutes.

Natural Instincts

Clearly there exist a lot of similarities between Ford with Smith.

Smith possesses the capacity to make right decisions during tense moments - his natural reactions are not something you can really coach.

I recall when he got the ball at one stage just inside his territory and it looked like it could be should they spread play.

But in those milliseconds he calculated they needed reversing the opposition as we are leading points-wise, so he kicked it to pin them back and turn pressure.

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

All-round Ability

He also has composure during intensity to organise teammates around him, and the understanding that he mustn't always need as primary receiver.

I hope to witness him given the chance to show this at elite standards soon, just as we have seen George Ford do, especially at club level repeatedly and week out.

During the South American tour, the experienced fly-half also stood up in difficult situations, previously you could argue occasions existed where he didn't fully delivered during extremely tense matches.

I believe we have playmaking options who can do the job, though Smith's defensive work combined with additional qualities, it makes him the better-rounded all-round performer.

Tactical Setup

This also indicates there's no need to adjust the defensive structure while fielding an assertive player in the fly-half position, rather than someone who is a little more passive.

You could also present compelling arguments for Ford starting and Fin Smith entering from the bench.

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

That has not always been the situation against the All Blacks, when attention was simply on selecting the right player.

This time, either playmaker selected can put New Zealand under real pressure.

Fin's ability selecting the right kick and execute enabling possible 50-20 might relieve all the stress away from England.