Fin Smith delivered arguably the best defensive display we have seen from an England fly-half in several years.
How he fronted up by consistently making his tackles against a physical Fiji side was impressive.
His game management was also immense – he showed an excellent balance of finesse and control, and made some strong decisions when things were not going to plan in the first half.
His ability to calm the team strategically and make big calls is something he has really nailed.
In my opinion, Fin Smith is England’s number one fly-half and he should start against New Zealand next week.
I think head coach Steve Borthwick sees it that way as well, because Fin has proven he can perform in big Test matches.
George Ford started last Saturday against Australia for leadership reasons, and part of that decision was to provide continuity and reward his form from 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 should not get too carried away with that win, which should have been by a larger margin given how off the pace Australia were.
Fiji, on the other hand, were much more threatening and presented a far tougher challenge.
Fin Smith is still only 23 – looking ahead two years, with Ford challenging him but also offering support, I think Fin will be in a very strong place as a player.
Marcus Smith also has to 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 feet, but he also needs the freedom to show his unique qualities.
New Zealand brought on Damian McKenzie, who scored the decisive try to beat Scotland, and that shows the importance of having players who can make a real impact from the bench.
That kind of presence can be 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 his early career.
If we can get Marcus to be that kind 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 is a position that is still up for grabs.
The All Blacks will kick to challenge England’s backfield, so it has to be watertight.
It is a position that needs to become a real strength, both defensively and in terms of the counter-attack threat.
Right now, I don’t think Marcus is a full-back at the highest level. I struggle to see the benefit of playing him there.
I want the ball in his hands as much as possible, but I believe that should be in the front line, particularly in the final 20 minutes.
