A first start at home and kicking the match-winning penalty added up to a memorable day for the 22-year-old Northampton Saints player - but that hardly does justice to his all-round impact in the stunning win against France.
England were looking to avoid a fourth consecutive loss to Les Bleus, but going into the final stages of this enthralling encounter in London, it could have gone either way as both sides played out a back-and-forth game of free-flowing rugby.
"It was back and forth, wasn't it?" said a delighted Smith, who praised the atmosphere at the stadium. "We’ve lost plenty of games that have been like that in the past, and luckily this one went our way. It was far from perfect, but my God the group fought hard today and we’ve given ourselves another shot.
"We really backed ourselves. We couldn’t go into our shells, we had to keep playing, keep moving the ball. The French are an awesome outfit and they probably let us off the hook in the first half. It felt like momentum had to come our way at some point, and it did.
"I felt a bit like a rabbit in the headlights in the first half, to be honest, but found my feet towards the end there. I'm delighted we got the win more than anything, but this [Player of the Match medal] is pretty cool for a first start."
Smith took over kicking duties from namesake Marcus after the fullback's accuracy proved wayward at key moments, and the former U20 Six Nations Grand Slam winner never looked back.
He converted two tries late on in the match, including one that he set up with an assist for Elliot Daly's 79th-minute effort. It was day when this promising youngster could deliver on his promise - against the heavy favourites, no less - and Smith duly did.
