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According to rugby specialists, Fin Smith has demonstrated why he deserves the first-choice spot for the national team's fly-half versus the All Blacks this weekend.

Fin Smith delivered arguably the most impressive defensive display observed by an English fly-half in several years.

His courageous approach 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 control, while executing several crucial choices during moments were not going to plan in the first half.

Tackling Prowess Coupled with Tactical Leadership

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

In my opinion, Fin Smith is England's number one playmaker and he should begin against the All Blacks next week.

I think the manager the England coach views it that way as well, because Fin has proven his capability in big Test matches.

Team Selection and Competition

George Ford started last Saturday versus the Wallabies for leadership reasons, with some aspect of that choice was to provide continuity and reward his performance from the tour to South America.

However, the national team's showing versus the Pacific Islanders represented a marked step up from the performance against Australia.

Australia lost on Italian soil on Saturday, therefore we must avoid becoming too carried away about that victory, that could have been by a larger margin considering how below par Australia were.

Fiji, by contrast, were much more dangerous and presented a much more difficult test.

Long-term Potential

The young playmaker is still only 23 - looking ahead two years, alongside Ford challenging him while providing support, I believe Fin will be in a very strong position in his career.

The Harlequins star also has to be considered as a possibility at the right time and versus the right opposition.

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

Substitute Influence

New Zealand introduced Damian McKenzie, who scored the decisive score to beat Scotland, demonstrating the significance of having players capable of creating genuine influence from the bench.

Such type of player might represent the deciding factor between winning a World Cup from failure.

McKenzie observes the match unfold from the bench and thinks about how to create a difference when he comes on.

His decision-making and mistake frequency have improved significantly from his initial career.

Positional Debate

If we can get Smith as such type of impactful player, including him in the backfield might prove beneficial.

However, currently I don't think he represents the solution in the number fifteen position, making it a role remaining unclaimed.

New Zealand are likely to punt testing England's backfield, so it has remain impenetrable.

It is a position requiring to become a genuine asset, in defense and in terms of the counter-attack threat.

Currently, I believe Smith functions as full-back in top-tier rugby.

I struggle to identify the advantage fielding him there.

I prefer the ball in his hands frequently, but I believe this should occur among starters, particularly in the final 20 minutes.

Innate Qualities

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

Smith possesses the ability executing the correct choices under pressure - his instincts are not something that can be taught.

I remember when he got the ball during one phase within his territory and it looked that opportunity existed should they spread play.

But in those milliseconds he calculated they needed reversing the opposition as we are leading points-wise, therefore he punted it to pin them back applying the screw.

That's the sort of playmaking securing championships while claiming global tournaments.

All-round Ability

He also has that calmness under pressure directing the players nearby, and the understanding that he mustn't always need as primary option.

I want to see him receiving the chance demonstrating this at elite standards soon, just as we have seen the veteran do, especially at club level repeatedly and week out.

In Argentina, Ford similarly excelled during challenging situations, where historically you could argue occasions existed where he didn't fully delivered during extremely tense games.

I think England possesses two fly-halves capable of performing the job, though Smith's defensive work on top of additional qualities, establishes him as the better-rounded versatile player.

Tactical Setup

This also indicates you don't have to modify your defensive system while fielding someone aggressive in the fly-half channel, instead of someone who is a little more reserved.

One might make a strong case favoring Ford beginning with Smith coming off the bench.

There are so many factors occurring behind closed doors, however the coaches decide to go, it will give New Zealand problems.

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

This time, whichever fly-half they choose will pressure New Zealand under real pressure.

Fin's ability to pick optimal kicks while delivering enabling possible territorial gains might relieve all the stress away from the national team.