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According to rugby specialists, Fin Smith has shown that he merits the first-choice spot for the national team's fly-half against the All Blacks on Saturday.

Fin Smith produced arguably the best defensive performance we have seen from an England fly-half in several years.

His courageous approach through regularly completing defensive hits versus an aggressive Fiji side was impressive.

His game management was also immense - he showed an excellent balance of skill and control, while executing some strong choices during moments didn't proceed to plan in the first half.

Tackling Prowess and Strategic Leadership

His capacity to settle the team strategically while making big calls is something he has truly mastered.

In my opinion, the young fly-half represents England's number one fly-half and he should begin versus the All Blacks this weekend.

I think the manager Steve Borthwick sees it similarly too, since Smith has proven he can perform in big Test matches.

Team Selection and Competition

The experienced fly-half started last Saturday versus the Wallabies for leadership reasons, and part of that choice was to provide continuity while acknowledging his performance during the visit to South America.

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

The Wallabies were defeated on Italian soil last weekend, so we should not get too carried away about that victory, that could have been by a larger margin considering how off the pace Australia were.

Fiji, on the other hand, were much more threatening and presented a much more difficult test.

Future Prospects

Fin Smith remains just twenty-three - looking ahead 24 months, with Ford pushing him while providing backup, I think Smith will find himself in a very strong place in his career.

Marcus Smith also has to be considered as an option when appropriate and versus suitable opponents.

He is developing as a player while beginning to establish himself, but he also requires liberty to demonstrate his unique attributes.

Bench Impact

The All Blacks introduced Damian McKenzie, who registered the match-winning score to beat Scotland, and that shows the importance of possessing individuals capable of creating a real impact as substitutes.

That kind of presence can be the deciding factor between winning the global tournament from failure.

The All Blacks substitute watches the match unfold from the bench while considering regarding ways to create a difference upon entering.

His choices and error rate have enhanced substantially from his initial career.

Positional Debate

Should we develop Marcus as that kind of impactful player, including him in the backfield could be beneficial.

However, currently I don't think he represents the solution at full-back, so that is a role remaining unclaimed.

The All Blacks are likely to punt testing the English backfield, so it has remain impenetrable.

This role that needs to become a genuine asset, in defense and in terms offensive transitions threat.

Right now, I believe Marcus is a full-back in top-tier rugby.

I find it difficult to see the advantage fielding him there.

I prefer possession under his control frequently, though I think that should be among starters, especially during the last quarter.

Innate Qualities

Clearly there exist numerous similarities comparing Ford with Smith.

Fin has the capacity to make the correct decisions under pressure - his natural reactions represent traits you can really taught.

I recall when he got possession at one stage just inside his territory appearing that opportunity existed should they swung it wide.

However during these milliseconds he calculated they needed to turn the opposition since England were up on the scoreboard, therefore he punted to pressure them back applying the screw.

This represents the type of fly-half play securing titles while claiming global tournaments.

All-round Ability

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

I want to see him given the chance to show that at the highest standards soon, just as we have seen George Ford accomplish, particularly during club level week in consistently.

In Argentina, Ford similarly excelled in difficult situations, previously one might suggest occasions existed where he didn't fully done so in the very highest-pressure games.

I believe we have two fly-halves who can do the job, though Smith's defensive work on top of additional qualities, establishes him as the more complete versatile player.

Defensive System

It also means there's no need to modify the defensive structure when you have someone aggressive occupying the playmaker channel, instead of an individual being somewhat reserved.

You could also make a strong case favoring Ford beginning and Fin Smith coming off the bench.

There are so many considerations occurring behind closed doors, but whichever way the coaches choose to proceed, this will present New Zealand difficulties.

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

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

Fin's ability to pick optimal kicks and execute for a potential territorial gains might relieve all the stress away from the national team.