Smith spent most of his career with the Hurricanes in Super Rugby, and also for Wellington in the ITM Cup. He made his Wellington debut in 2003, and was signed by the Hurricanes in 2004. Smith's Hurricanes career was plagued by injury, and having been injured in 2006, 2007 and 2011, he made just 66 appearances in his first eight seasons with the side. He was Hurricanes captain until the end of the 2015 season, having led the side for the first time in 2007 in place of the injured Rodney So'oialo. In February 2015 he announced that the upcoming 2015 Super Rugby season would be his last as he would be joining Pau on a two-year contract. Smith made his debut for Pau on 19 December 2015 in the European Rugby Challenge CupPool 2 match against Welsh side Newport Gwent Dragons.
International career
He made his All Blacks debut age 22, versus Italy in 2004, after a meteoric rise which saw him make his professional debut just a season earlier. In 2006, Smith won a place on the end of year tour to Europe, despite breaking his leg for the Hurricanes earlier that year. In 2007, Smith faced a number of setbacks, mostly involving injury. However, he eventually earned his way back into a starting position, and by 2008, was the first choice centre for the All Blacks. Smith was a member of the 2011 Rugby World Cup winning squad playing in the final against France at Eden Park in Auckland on 23 October 2011. Against Argentina on 28 September 2013, Smith and inside centre Ma'a Nonu achieved a record fifty international games together. Smith took a six-month break from rugby during the 2013 end-of-year tour, meaning he did not travel with the All Blacks squad to Japan and Europe. In 2015, Smith was named New Zealand's Rugby World Cup team for the second time. The All Blacks won this tournament and Smith played a crucial role throughout, starting in six out of six matches. He was one of six senior players – the others being Keven Mealamu, all-time points scorer Dan Carter, long-time midfield partner Ma'a Nonu, Tony Woodcock and captain Richie McCaw – to retire after the tournament.
Other work
Off the field, Smith is involved in the New Zealand Rugby Players Association and sits on the board as a Player Representative. In 2015, he and McCaw were named as the New Zealand representatives in the 48-member Player Advisory Group by the International Rugby Players Association.
Personal
Smith married Leanne Snowdon in October 2013. Smith missed a test match in Sydney for the birth of their first child, a boy, in August 2014.
