Fin Smith gave the best display performance we have seen from an England fly-half in years.
How he showed by consistently making his tackles against a physical Fiji side was impressive.
His game management was also great – he showed an excellent balance of finesse and control, and made some solid decisions when things didn’t go to plan in the first half.
His ability to calm the team strategically and make big calls is something he nails.
In my opinion, Fin Smith is the number one indigenous half and he should start against New Zealand next week.
I think head coach Steve Borthwick will see it that way, as FIN has proven he can handle test matches.
George Ford started on Saturday against Australia for leadership reasons, and part of that decision was to give continuity and reward his form from the Argentina tour.
But England’s performance against Fiji was a significant step up from the performance against Australia.
The Wallabies lost to Italy on Saturday, so we shouldn’t get carried away with that win, which should have been by a bigger margin given how fast Australia are.
Fiji, on the other hand, is far more threatening and presents a far greater challenge.
Fin Smith is another year – looking forward to two years, with Ford challenging him, but also offering support, I think FIN will be a 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 starting to find his feet, but he also needs the freedom to show his unique qualities.
New Zealand brought in Damian McKenzie, who scored the decisive try in the win over Scotland, and showed the importance of having a real impact from the bench.
That kind of presence could be the difference between winning a World Cup or not.
McKenzie watched the game from the bench and wondered how he could have made a difference when he came on. His decision making and mistakes have improved significantly since his early career.
If we can get Marcus to be that kind of epuschuful player, knowing him in the backfield will be invaluable.
However, right now I don’t think Marcus is the answer at full back, so that’s a position that’s still moving forward.
The All Blacks will be kicking to challenge the England backfield, so it should be watertight.
This is a position that should be a real strength, both defensively and in terms of counter-attacking threat.
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 it should be in the front line, especially in the last 20 minutes.