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According to rugby specialists, Fin Smith has shown why he deserves the starting position for the national team's number ten versus the All Blacks on Saturday.

Fin Smith produced without doubt the most impressive defensive display we have seen from an England playmaker for quite some time.

How he fronted up through regularly completing defensive hits against an aggressive Fijian team was impressive.

His game management was also immense - he demonstrated an excellent balance of skill and control, and made some strong decisions during moments were not going as expected during the opening period.

Tackling Prowess and Strategic Leadership

His capacity to calm the team tactically while making important decisions is something he has really nailed.

In my opinion, the young fly-half is England's primary fly-half and he should start versus the All Blacks this weekend.

I believe the manager Steve Borthwick sees it that way as well, because Fin has proven he can perform in big international games.

Squad Decisions Amid Rivalry

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

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

The Wallabies lost in Italy on Saturday, so we should avoid becoming overly excited with that win, which should have been by a larger margin given how off the pace the Australians performed.

The Fijian team, by contrast, proved significantly threatening while offering a much more difficult challenge.

Long-term Potential

The young playmaker is still only 23 - projecting forward 24 months, with Ford challenging him while providing backup, I believe Fin will be in an excellent position in his career.

Marcus Smith must also be considered as an option at the right time and versus suitable opponents.

He is developing in his career and is starting to find his feet, though he needs the freedom to demonstrate his unique qualities.

Substitute Influence

New Zealand brought on Damian McKenzie, who scored the decisive score defeating Scotland, demonstrating the importance of possessing individuals capable of creating genuine influence as substitutes.

Such type of presence might represent the deciding factor between winning a World Cup or not.

The All Blacks substitute watches the game develop from the bench while considering regarding ways he can make a difference when he comes on.

His decision-making and error rate have enhanced significantly from his initial professional days.

Role Discussion

Should we develop Smith as that kind of impactful performer, then having him in the backfield could be beneficial.

Nonetheless, currently I don't think he represents the solution in the number fifteen position, so that is a role that is still unclaimed.

New Zealand will kick to challenge the English backfield, therefore it must to be impenetrable.

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

Currently, I don't think Smith is a full-back in top-tier rugby.

I struggle to identify the benefit of playing him there.

I prefer the ball in his hands as much as possible, but I believe that should be in the front line, particularly during the last 20 minutes.

Natural Instincts

There are obviously a lot of parallels between Ford with Smith.

Fin has the ability executing the correct decisions during tense moments - his natural reactions represent traits you can really coach.

I remember as he received possession during one phase just inside his territory and it looked like it could be on if they spread play.

But in those milliseconds he calculated they needed to turn the opposition since England were leading points-wise, therefore he punted to pressure the opponents and turn pressure.

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

All-round Ability

He additionally possesses that calmness under pressure directing teammates nearby, and the understanding that he doesn't always need as primary receiver.

I hope to witness him given the opportunity to show this at elite level next week, just as we have seen the veteran do, especially at domestic matches week in consistently.

During the South American tour, Ford also stood up during challenging circumstances, previously you could argue there have been times where he didn't fully done so during extremely tense matches.

I believe we have playmaking options who can do the job, though Smith's defence on top of everything else, establishes him as the better-rounded all-round player.

Defensive System

This also indicates there's no need to modify your defensive system while fielding an assertive player in the fly-half position, instead of someone who is somewhat reserved.

One might make a strong case for Ford starting with Smith coming off the bench.

There are so many factors that go on privately, however the management decide to go, it will give the opponents difficulties.

This hasn't consistently represented the situation against the All Blacks, where the focus concentrated solely on picking the right player.

On this occasion, either playmaker selected can put New Zealand under real pressure.

Smith's capacity to pick optimal kicks and execute for a potential territorial gains might relieve pressure away from the national team.