He was included in the Leopards U19 squad that participated in the 2012 Under-19 Provincial Championship,[4] making ten appearances and scoring 38 points[5] for his side that finished in fifth position on the log.

[9] Smith made twelve appearances for the Leopards U21 squad in the 2013 Under-21 Provincial Championship, scoring 33 points[10] for his side, including tries in matches against Free State U21[11] and Western Province U21,[12] but again missed out on the play-offs, with the team finishing in sixth place on the log.

Smith scored just two points throughout the season, but it proved to be absolutely vital, as he kicked a last-minute penalty in their match against NMMU Madibaz in the semi-final in a 19–18 victory.

[16] He was an unused replacement in the final, which UCT Ikey Tigers won in dramatic fashion as they fought back from 33–15 down with five minutes to go to achieve a 39–33 victory.

[27] He played his first full match the following week, kicking five conversions in a 50–29 victory over the Falcons,[28] a result that saw the Leopards finish top of the log to qualify for the semi-finals.

He scored tries in their matches against NMMU Madibaz,[31] Maties,[32] UCT Ikey Tigers[33] and CUT Ixias[34] during the regular season, helping them qualify for a play-off spot by finishing in fourth position on the log.

[40] Smith scored a try (which was later nominated as the try of the season)[41] and kicked a conversion in the Dream Team's defeat to the South Africa Under-20s as the latter prepared for the 2015 World Rugby Under 20 Championship.

[51] He scored a fourth try in their semi-final match against the Falcons, avenging their defeat to the same opposition at this stage in 2014,[52] before helping the team to a 44–20 victory over the SWD Eagles in the final to win the First Division title for the first time in their history.

He started nine matches, scoring 136 points – the second-most behind Griffons fly-half George Whitehead[59] – for the Leopards in the competition before linking up with the Sharks' Super Rugby squad.