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According to rugby specialists, Fin Smith has shown why he deserves the first-choice spot as England's number ten versus the All Blacks this weekend.

Fin Smith produced arguably the most impressive defensive display observed from an England playmaker for quite some time.

How he fronted up by consistently making his tackles against an aggressive Fiji side was impressive.

His tactical control was also immense - he demonstrated an excellent balance of skill and composure, while executing several crucial decisions during moments didn't proceed to plan in the first half.

Tackling Prowess Coupled with Tactical Leadership

His ability to settle the team tactically and make important decisions is something he has really nailed.

From my perspective, the young fly-half represents England's number one fly-half and deserves to begin against the All Blacks next week.

I think the manager Steve Borthwick views it that way as well, since Smith has proven he can perform in big Test matches.

Team Selection and Competition

George Ford started the previous weekend against Australia due to captaincy reasons, with some aspect of that choice was to provide consistency while acknowledging his performance from the tour of Argentina.

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

The Wallabies lost on Italian soil on Saturday, therefore we must avoid becoming too carried away about that victory, that could have been more comprehensive considering how off the pace the Australians were.

Fiji, by contrast, proved significantly dangerous while offering a much more difficult test.

Future Prospects

The young playmaker remains just twenty-three - looking ahead two years, alongside Ford pushing him while providing backup, I think Fin will be in a very strong place as a player.

The Harlequins star also has to be regarded as a possibility at the right time and against suitable opponents.

He is developing as a player and is starting to find his feet, but he also needs the freedom to demonstrate his unique qualities.

Bench Impact

The All Blacks introduced their impact player, who scored the match-winning score defeating the Scottish team, and that shows the significance of having players capable of creating genuine influence from the bench.

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

McKenzie watches the match develop from the bench and thinks about how he can make a difference when he comes on.

His decision-making and mistake frequency have enhanced substantially since his early professional days.

Role Discussion

If we can get Smith to be that kind influential performer, including him in the backfield could be valuable.

However, currently I don't think he is the answer at full-back, so that is a position that is still unclaimed.

The All Blacks will kick to challenge England's backfield, therefore it must remain watertight.

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

Right now, I believe Smith functions as full-back at the highest level.

I struggle to see the advantage of playing him there.

I want possession under his control as much as possible, though I think this should occur among starters, particularly in the final 20 minutes.

Innate Qualities

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

Smith possesses the ability to make the correct choices during tense moments - his instincts are not something that can be coach.

I recall when he got the ball during one phase just inside his territory appearing like it could be on if they swung it wide.

However during these split-seconds he calculated the team required to turn Fiji round as we are up on the scoreboard, so he kicked it to pin the opponents and turn the screw.

That's the sort of fly-half play securing championships while claiming World Cups.

Complete Package

He also has composure under pressure to organise teammates nearby, while recognizing that he mustn't constantly serve to be the first option.

I hope to witness him given the opportunity to show this at elite standards soon, similar to the veteran do, especially at domestic matches week in and week out.

In Argentina, the experienced fly-half similarly excelled during challenging situations, where historically you could argue there have been times where he didn't fully delivered in the very highest-pressure matches.

I think England possesses two fly-halves capable of performing the job, though Smith's defence on top of everything else, establishes him as the better-rounded all-round player.

Tactical Setup

This also indicates you don't have to modify your defensive system when you have someone aggressive in the fly-half position, rather than someone who is a little more reserved.

One might make a strong case for Ford starting with Smith entering from the bench.

Numerous considerations occurring privately, however the management choose to proceed, this will present New Zealand problems.

This hasn't consistently represented the situation facing New Zealand, where the focus was simply on picking the right player.

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

Smith's capacity selecting the right kick while delivering enabling possible 50-20 might relieve all the stress away from the national team.