Why Fin Smith Is England's Number One Playmaker

England's fly-half during play
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According to rugby specialists, the young playmaker has demonstrated why he deserves the starting position as England's number ten versus New Zealand this weekend.

Fin Smith delivered without doubt the most impressive defensive display observed from an England playmaker for quite some time.

His courageous approach through regularly completing his tackles versus an aggressive Fijian team stood out remarkably.

His tactical control was also immense - he showed an excellent balance of finesse and control, and made some strong choices when things were not going to plan in the first half.

Tackling Prowess and Strategic Command

His ability to calm the squad strategically while making important decisions is something he has really nailed.

From my perspective, Fin Smith represents England's primary fly-half and deserves to start versus New Zealand this weekend.

I think the manager the England coach views it that way as well, since Smith has proven he can perform during important international games.

Team Selection and Competition

George Ford began last Saturday against Australia due to captaincy reasons, with some aspect of that decision was to provide continuity while acknowledging his form during the visit to South America.

However, the national team's performance versus the Pacific Islanders represented a marked improvement compared to the display versus the Wallabies.

Australia lost in Italy on Saturday, therefore we must not get overly excited with that win, which should have been by a larger margin given how below par Australia were.

Fiji, by contrast, were much more dangerous while offering a far tougher test.

Future Prospects

The young playmaker is still only 23 - looking ahead two years, alongside Ford challenging him but also offering support, I believe Fin will be in a very strong place as a player.

The Harlequins star also has to be considered as a possibility when appropriate and against suitable opponents.

He's progressing in his career while beginning to find his feet, but he also needs the freedom to show his unique attributes.

Bench Impact

The All Blacks introduced Damian McKenzie, who scored the match-winning try defeating the Scottish team, demonstrating the significance of having individuals capable of creating a real impact as substitutes.

Such type of player might represent the deciding factor separating victory a World Cup from failure.

The All Blacks substitute watches the match unfold while substituted and thinks regarding ways he can make an impact upon entering.

His decision-making and error rate have improved substantially from his initial professional days.

Positional Debate

If we can get Marcus as such type of impactful performer, then having him in the backfield could be beneficial.

However, at the moment I don't think Marcus represents the solution at full-back, making it a role that is still unclaimed.

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

It is a position requiring transforming into a real strength, in defense while regarding of the counter-attack threat.

Currently, I don't think Marcus functions as full-back in top-tier rugby.

I find it difficult to see the benefit fielding him in that position.

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

Innate Qualities

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

Fin has the capacity executing the correct choices during tense moments - his instincts represent traits you can really taught.

I recall when he got the ball at one stage within his own half appearing like it could be should they swung it wide.

However during these split-seconds he calculated the team required reversing the opposition since England were leading points-wise, so he kicked it to pin the opponents and turn pressure.

That's the sort of fly-half play that wins titles and wins global tournaments.

Complete Package

He also has composure under pressure directing the players around him, and the understanding that he mustn't always need to be the first option.

I want to see him given the opportunity to show this at elite level next week, similar to George Ford do, especially at club level week in consistently.

In Argentina, the experienced fly-half also stood up in difficult situations, where historically you could argue there have been times where he didn't fully done so during extremely tense games.

I believe England possesses two fly-halves who can do the job, but with Fin's defence on top of everything else, establishes him as the better-rounded all-round performer.

Defensive System

It also means you don't have to modify your defensive system while fielding someone aggressive in the fly-half channel, instead of someone who is somewhat passive.

You could also make a strong case favoring Ford beginning and Fin Smith coming off the bench.

There are so many considerations that go on behind closed doors, but whichever way the management decide to go, this will present New Zealand difficulties.

That has not always been the narrative against the All Blacks, where the focus was simply on selecting the right player.

On this occasion, whichever fly-half selected will pressure the All Blacks under real pressure.

Fin's ability to pick the right kick while delivering for a potential territorial gains might relieve all the stress off the national team.

Nicole Porter
Nicole Porter

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