Fin Smith put in arguably the best defensive display we have seen from an England flyhalf in several years.
It was impressive how he coped by making consistent tackles against a physical Fiji team.
His game management was also immense – he showed an excellent balance between finesse and control, and made some solid decisions when things didn’t go to plan in the first half.
His ability to strategically calm the team and make important decisions is something he has really achieved.
In my opinion, Fin Smith is England’s number one fly half and should start against New Zealand next week.
I think head coach Steve Borthwick sees it that way too, because Fin has shown he can perform in big test matches.
George Ford started last Saturday against Australia for leadership reasons, and part of that decision was to give him continuity and reward his form on the tour of Argentina.
But England’s performance against Fiji was a significant step up from the performance against Australia.
The Wallabies lost in Italy on Saturday, so we shouldn’t get carried away with that victory, which should have been by a larger margin given how off the pace Australia were.
Fiji, on the other hand, was much more threatening and presented a much more difficult challenge.
Fin Smith is still only 23 years old; Looking ahead to two more years, with Ford challenging him but also offering him support, I think Fin will be in a very strong place as a player.
Marcus Smith should also be considered as an option at the right time and against the right opposition.
He is developing as a player and is starting to find his place, but he also needs the freedom to show his unique qualities.
New Zealand brought in Damian McKenzie, who scored the decisive try to beat Scotland, and it shows the importance of having players who can make a real impact off the bench.
That type of presence can make the difference between winning a World Cup or not.
McKenzie watches the game unfold from the bench and thinks about how he can make a difference when he comes on. His decision making and error rate have improved significantly since the beginning of his career.
If we can get Marcus to be that type of impactful player, then having him in the backfield could be valuable.
However, at the moment I don’t think Marcus is the answer at full-back, so that’s a position that’s still up for grabs.
The All Blacks will be kicking to challenge England’s backfield, so it has to be tight.
It is a position that needs to become a real strength, both defensively and in terms of counter-attacking threat.
Right now I don’t think Marcus is a top-level full-back. It’s hard for me to see the benefit of playing him there.
I want the ball in his hands as much as possible, but I think he should be on the front line, especially in the last 20 minutes.
