Why Fin Smith Is The National Team's Top Choice Fly-Half

In expert analysis, the young playmaker has demonstrated that he merits the starting position as England's number ten versus New Zealand this weekend.

The Northampton Saints star delivered without doubt the best defensive display we have seen by an English playmaker in several years.

How he fronted up by consistently making defensive hits against a physical Fiji side was impressive.

His tactical control proved exceptional - he demonstrated an excellent balance of finesse and control, and made several crucial decisions when things didn't proceed to plan in the first half.

Defensive Excellence Coupled with Tactical Command

His ability to settle the squad tactically and make big calls is something he has truly nailed.

From my perspective, Fin Smith is England's number one fly-half and deserves to begin versus the All Blacks next week.

I believe head coach 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 versus the Wallabies due to captaincy considerations, with some aspect of that choice was to provide consistency and reward his form during the visit to South America.

But England's showing against Fiji represented a marked improvement from the performance versus the Wallabies.

Australia were defeated on Italian soil last weekend, therefore we must not get too carried away with that win, that could have been more comprehensive given how below par the Australians were.

Fiji, by contrast, were much more threatening and presented a far tougher test.

Future Prospects

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

Marcus Smith also has to be considered as an option when appropriate and against suitable opponents.

He's progressing as a player while beginning to find his feet, though he requires liberty to demonstrate his unique qualities.

Substitute Influence

New Zealand brought on their impact player, who registered the decisive score defeating Scotland, demonstrating the significance of possessing individuals who can make genuine influence as substitutes.

Such type of presence can be the deciding factor between winning the global tournament or not.

McKenzie observes the game unfold from the bench and thinks regarding ways to create a difference upon entering.

His decision-making and mistake frequency have improved significantly since his early career.

Role Discussion

Should we develop Smith as that kind influential player, including him in the backfield might prove beneficial.

However, at the moment I don't think Marcus is the answer at full-back, so that is a role remaining up for grabs.

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

This role that needs transforming into a real strength, in defense while regarding of the counter-attack threat.

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

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

I prefer possession in his hands as much as possible, though I think that should be among starters, particularly in the final quarter.

Natural Instincts

Clearly there exist a lot of parallels between Ford and Fin Smith.

Smith possesses the ability executing the correct choices during tense moments - his natural reactions represent traits you can really taught.

I recall when he got the ball at one stage within his own half and it looked like it could be on if they swung it wide.

However during these split-seconds he thought the team required to turn the opposition as we are leading points-wise, therefore he punted it to pin them back applying pressure.

This represents the type of fly-half play securing championships and wins global tournaments.

All-round Ability

He also has composure during intensity directing teammates around him, while recognizing that he mustn't constantly serve as primary option.

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

In Argentina, the experienced fly-half similarly excelled during challenging situations, previously you could argue there have been times where he didn't fully done so during extremely tense matches.

I think we have playmaking options capable of performing the role, though Smith's defensive work combined with everything else, it makes him the better-rounded all-round performer.

Tactical Setup

It also means you don't have to adjust your defensive system while fielding an assertive player occupying the playmaker channel, instead of someone who is a little more passive.

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

There are so many considerations occurring behind closed doors, but whichever way the management choose to proceed, this will present New Zealand problems.

That has not always been the situation facing New Zealand, where the focus concentrated solely on selecting the optimal individual.

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

Smith's capacity selecting optimal kicks and execute enabling possible 50-20 might relieve all the stress off the national team.