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In expert analysis, the young playmaker has shown that he merits the starting position for the national team's fly-half versus New Zealand on Saturday.

The Northampton Saints star produced arguably the best defensive display observed by an English playmaker in several years.

How he fronted up through regularly completing his tackles against a physical Fijian team stood out remarkably.

His game management proved exceptional - he demonstrated an excellent balance of skill and control, and made some strong choices when things didn't proceed to plan during the opening period.

Tackling Prowess Coupled with Tactical Leadership

His ability to calm the team strategically while making big calls represents an aspect he has truly mastered.

In my opinion, the young fly-half represents England's number one playmaker and he should start against the All Blacks next week.

I think the manager Steve Borthwick views it similarly too, since Smith has demonstrated his capability during important international games.

Squad Decisions and Competition

George Ford started the previous weekend versus the Wallabies due to captaincy considerations, and part of that decision was to provide consistency while acknowledging his form during the visit of Argentina.

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

The Wallabies lost in Italy on Saturday, therefore we must not get too carried away with that win, that could have been more comprehensive given how off the pace Australia were.

The Fijian team, by contrast, were much more threatening and presented a much more difficult challenge.

Long-term Potential

Fin Smith is still only twenty-three - projecting forward 24 months, with Ford challenging him but also offering support, I think Fin will be in an excellent place as a player.

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

He's progressing as a player while beginning to find his feet, though he needs the freedom to demonstrate his distinctive qualities.

Substitute Influence

New Zealand introduced Damian McKenzie, who registered the decisive score defeating Scotland, and that shows the importance of possessing individuals who can make genuine influence from the bench.

Such type of presence might represent the difference between winning the global tournament from failure.

McKenzie observes the game develop while substituted while considering regarding ways he can make a difference upon entering.

His decision-making and error rate have improved substantially since his early career.

Positional Debate

Should we develop Marcus as such type of impactful player, then having him among substitutes could be valuable.

Nonetheless, at the moment I believe Marcus represents the solution in the number fifteen position, so that is a position remaining unclaimed.

New Zealand will kick testing the English defensive line, so it has to be impenetrable.

This role requiring to become a genuine asset, in defense and in terms of the counter-attack danger.

Currently, I believe Smith is a full-back at the highest level.

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

I want possession under his control frequently, though I think that should be among starters, especially during the last 20 minutes.

Natural Instincts

Clearly there exist a lot of parallels comparing Ford with Smith.

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

I remember as he received the ball during one phase within his territory and it looked like it could be should they swung it wide.

However during these split-seconds he calculated they needed reversing Fiji round as we are up on the scoreboard, therefore he punted it to pin them back and turn pressure.

This represents the type of fly-half play that wins titles while claiming World Cups.

All-round Ability

He also has that calmness during intensity to organise the players around him, while recognizing that he mustn't always need as primary receiver.

I hope to witness him receiving the opportunity demonstrating this at elite standards soon, similar to the veteran do, especially at club level repeatedly consistently.

In Argentina, Ford also stood up during challenging circumstances, where historically you could argue there have been times where he didn't fully done so in the very highest-pressure games.

I believe England possesses playmaking options capable of performing the job, though Smith's defence combined with everything else, it makes him the better-rounded all-round player.

Tactical Setup

This also indicates there's no need to adjust your defensive system when you have an assertive player occupying the playmaker channel, instead of an individual being somewhat reserved.

One might make a strong case favoring Ford beginning and Fin Smith entering from the bench.

Numerous considerations occurring privately, however the coaches choose to proceed, this will present the opponents problems.

This hasn't consistently represented the narrative facing New Zealand, when attention was simply on selecting the optimal individual.

On this occasion, either playmaker selected can put New Zealand significantly.

Smith's capacity selecting the right kick and execute enabling possible territorial gains might relieve all the stress away from the national team.