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According to rugby specialists, the young playmaker has demonstrated why he deserves the starting position as England's fly-half versus the All Blacks this weekend.

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

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

His game management was also immense - he showed a perfect blend of skill and composure, and made several crucial choices during moments were not going to plan in the first half.

Defensive Excellence Coupled with Tactical Leadership

His ability to settle the team strategically while making important decisions represents an aspect he has really nailed.

From my perspective, the young fly-half represents England's primary playmaker and deserves to begin versus the All Blacks next week.

I believe the manager the England coach sees it that way as well, since Smith has proven his capability in big international games.

Team Selection and Competition

George Ford began the previous weekend against Australia for leadership reasons, and part of that decision was to provide consistency and reward his form from the tour to South America.

However, the national team's showing versus the Pacific Islanders was a significant step up compared to the display versus the Wallabies.

Australia were defeated on Italian soil last weekend, therefore we must not get overly excited about that victory, which should have been by a larger margin given how off the pace Australia were.

Fiji, on the other hand, proved significantly threatening while offering a much more difficult challenge.

Future Prospects

The young playmaker is still only 23 - projecting forward 24 months, alongside Ford challenging him while providing support, I think Smith will find himself in a very strong place in his career.

The Harlequins star 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 needs the freedom to demonstrate his unique attributes.

Substitute Influence

The All Blacks brought on Damian McKenzie, who registered the match-winning try defeating the Scottish team, and that shows the importance of possessing individuals capable of creating a real impact from the bench.

Such type of presence might represent the deciding factor separating victory the global tournament from failure.

The All Blacks substitute watches the match develop while substituted and thinks about how he can make an impact when he comes on.

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

Role Discussion

If we can get Smith as that kind influential player, including him among substitutes might prove valuable.

However, at the moment I believe he represents the solution in the number fifteen position, so that is a position that is still up for grabs.

New Zealand are likely to punt to challenge England's backfield, therefore it must remain impenetrable.

This role requiring to become a real strength, both defensively while regarding offensive transitions danger.

Right now, I don't think Smith functions as full-back in top-tier rugby.

I struggle to identify the advantage fielding him in that position.

I prefer possession in his hands frequently, though I think that should be among starters, especially in the final 20 minutes.

Natural Instincts

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

Smith possesses the capacity executing right choices during tense moments - his natural reactions are not something that can be taught.

I remember as he received possession at one stage just inside his own half appearing that opportunity existed should they swung it wide.

But in those split-seconds he calculated they needed to turn Fiji round since England were up on the scoreboard, so he kicked it to pin them back applying the screw.

That's the sort of fly-half play securing championships and wins World Cups.

All-round Ability

He additionally possesses composure under pressure to organise teammates around him, while recognizing that he doesn't always need to be the first receiver.

I want to see him receiving the opportunity to show this at elite standards soon, similar to the veteran accomplish, especially at domestic matches week in consistently.

In Argentina, the experienced fly-half also stood up during challenging situations, previously one might suggest there have been times he has not quite delivered in the very highest-pressure matches.

I think we have two fly-halves who can do the job, though Smith's defensive work combined with additional qualities, establishes him as the more complete all-round performer.

Defensive System

It also means there's no need to adjust your defensive system when you have someone aggressive occupying the playmaker channel, instead of someone who is somewhat passive.

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 New Zealand problems.

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

This time, either playmaker they choose will pressure New Zealand under real pressure.

Smith's capacity selecting optimal kicks while delivering enabling possible territorial gains might relieve all the stress off the national team.