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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 against New Zealand this weekend.

Fin Smith produced without doubt the best defensive performance we have seen from an England playmaker for quite some time.

His courageous approach by consistently making his tackles versus an aggressive Fijian team was impressive.

His tactical control was also immense - he demonstrated an excellent balance of finesse and control, and made several crucial decisions during moments were not going to plan during the opening period.

Defensive Excellence and Strategic Leadership

His ability to settle the team strategically and make big calls is something he has really nailed.

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

I believe the manager Steve Borthwick views it that way as well, since Smith has demonstrated he can perform during important Test matches.

Team Selection Amid Rivalry

George Ford started the previous weekend against Australia for leadership reasons, with some aspect of that decision was to provide consistency while acknowledging his performance from the tour to South America.

But England's performance versus the Pacific Islanders represented a marked improvement from the performance against Australia.

The Wallabies lost on Italian soil on Saturday, therefore we must avoid becoming overly excited with that win, that could have been by a larger margin considering how off the pace the Australians performed.

The Fijian team, by contrast, proved significantly threatening and presented a far tougher challenge.

Long-term Potential

The young playmaker remains just twenty-three - projecting forward 24 months, alongside Ford challenging him while providing support, I believe Smith will find himself in an excellent place in his career.

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

He is developing as a player and is starting to establish himself, but he also requires liberty to demonstrate his distinctive qualities.

Bench Impact

New Zealand brought on Damian McKenzie, who registered the match-winning score to beat the Scottish team, and that shows the importance of possessing individuals capable of creating genuine influence from the bench.

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

McKenzie watches the game develop from the bench and thinks about how to create a difference upon entering.

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

Role Discussion

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

Nonetheless, at the moment I don't think Marcus represents the solution at full-back, so that is a role remaining unclaimed.

The All Blacks are likely to punt testing England's backfield, therefore it must to be impenetrable.

This role that needs transforming into a genuine asset, both defensively and in terms offensive transitions threat.

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

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

I want possession under his control as much as possible, though I think this should occur in the front line, especially in the final 20 minutes.

Innate Qualities

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

Smith possesses the ability to make right decisions during tense moments - his natural reactions are not something that can be coach.

I recall as he received the ball during one phase within his own half appearing like it could be on if they spread play.

But in those milliseconds he calculated they needed reversing the opposition since England were leading points-wise, so he kicked to pressure them back applying pressure.

This represents the type of playmaking securing titles and wins global tournaments.

All-round Ability

He additionally possesses composure during intensity directing teammates around him, while recognizing that he doesn't constantly serve to be the first option.

I want to see him given the chance demonstrating this at elite level next week, just as we have seen George Ford accomplish, especially at domestic matches week in and week out.

In Argentina, the experienced fly-half also stood up during challenging circumstances, previously you could argue there have been times where he didn't fully delivered during extremely tense games.

I think we have playmaking options who can do the role, but with Fin's defensive work on top of everything else, establishes him as the better-rounded versatile player.

Defensive System

It also means there's no need to adjust your defensive system when you have someone aggressive occupying the playmaker channel, rather than an individual being somewhat reserved.

One might present compelling arguments for Ford starting with Smith entering from the bench.

There are so many considerations occurring behind closed doors, however the management choose to proceed, this will present New Zealand difficulties.

This hasn't consistently represented the narrative facing New Zealand, when attention concentrated solely on picking the right player.

On this occasion, whichever fly-half they choose can put New Zealand significantly.

Fin's ability to pick the right kick and execute for a potential territorial gains can take all the stress off the national team.