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

The Northampton Saints star delivered without doubt the most impressive defensive performance we have seen from an England fly-half in several years.

His courageous approach by consistently making defensive hits against a physical Fiji side was impressive.

His tactical control proved exceptional - he showed an excellent balance of finesse and control, while executing some strong choices during moments were not going as expected during the opening period.

Tackling Prowess Coupled with Tactical Leadership

His capacity to calm the team strategically and make important decisions is something he has truly mastered.

From my perspective, Fin Smith represents England's primary playmaker and deserves to start versus New Zealand next week.

I think the manager Steve Borthwick views it that way too, because Fin has proven he can perform in big Test matches.

Squad Decisions and Competition

The experienced fly-half started the previous weekend versus the Wallabies due to captaincy reasons, with some aspect of that decision was to provide consistency while acknowledging his performance during the visit to South America.

But England's showing versus the Pacific Islanders represented a marked step up 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 given how below par Australia were.

Fiji, by contrast, proved significantly dangerous while offering a far tougher test.

Long-term Potential

Fin Smith is still only 23 - projecting forward 24 months, with Ford pushing him but also offering backup, I believe Fin will be in an excellent place in his career.

Marcus Smith also has to be regarded as a possibility when appropriate and against suitable opponents.

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

Substitute Influence

New Zealand brought on their impact player, who scored the decisive score to beat Scotland, and that shows the significance of having individuals capable of creating genuine influence from the bench.

Such type of presence might represent the difference separating victory the global tournament or not.

The All Blacks substitute watches the match develop from the bench while considering regarding ways to create an impact upon entering.

His choices and mistake frequency have improved substantially since his early career.

Role Discussion

Should we develop Smith as such type influential performer, then having him in the backfield could be beneficial.

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

New Zealand are likely to punt testing the English backfield, therefore it must remain watertight.

This role requiring to become a real strength, both defensively and in terms offensive transitions danger.

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

I find it difficult to see the advantage of playing him in that position.

I want possession in his hands as much as possible, though I think this should occur in the front line, especially during the last 20 minutes.

Natural Instincts

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

Fin has the ability executing the correct decisions under pressure - his instincts are not something you can really coach.

I remember when he got the ball during one phase just inside his territory and it looked that opportunity existed should they swung it wide.

However during these milliseconds he thought they needed to turn Fiji round since England were up on the scoreboard, therefore he punted it to pin the opponents applying pressure.

This represents the type of fly-half play that wins titles and wins global tournaments.

Complete Package

He also has that calmness under pressure to organise the players around him, while recognizing that he doesn't constantly serve to be the first option.

I hope to witness him given the opportunity demonstrating this at elite standards soon, just as we have seen the veteran accomplish, especially at club level repeatedly consistently.

In Argentina, the experienced fly-half also stood up during challenging situations, previously you could argue occasions existed he has not quite done so in the very highest-pressure matches.

I think England possesses playmaking options who can do the role, though Smith's defence on top of additional qualities, it makes him the better-rounded versatile player.

Defensive System

This also indicates there's no need to adjust the defensive structure while fielding an assertive player occupying the playmaker position, instead of an individual being somewhat reserved.

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

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

This hasn't consistently represented the narrative against the All Blacks, when attention was simply on picking the right player.

This time, whichever fly-half selected can put the All Blacks significantly.

Smith's capacity to pick optimal kicks while delivering for a potential 50-20 might relieve all the stress away from England.