Fin Smith delivered arguably the best defensive display we have seen from an England fly-half in several years.<\/b><\/p>\n
How he fronted up by consistently making his tackles against a physical Fiji side was impressive.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
His ability to calm the team strategically and make big calls is something he has really nailed.<\/p>\n
In my opinion, Fin Smith is England’s number one fly-half and he should start against New Zealand next week.<\/p>\n
I think head coach Steve Borthwick sees it that way as well, because Fin has proven he can perform in big Test matches.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
But England’s performance against Fiji was a significant step up from the performance against Australia.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Fiji, on the other hand, were much more threatening and presented a far tougher challenge.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Marcus Smith also has to be considered as an option at the right time and against the right opposition.<\/p>\n
He is developing as a player and is starting to find his feet, but he also needs the freedom to show his unique qualities.<\/p>\n