He played for England U18 'A' in 1999/00 and the next season became a member of the England U19 team, progressing to the U21 side during 2001/02. Smith then gained his first senior cap as a replacement against Italy in the 2003 Six Nations Championship. England went on to win the Grand Slam. However, shortly after his international debut he picked up a shoulder injury which ruled him out for the rest of that season. His next competitive game was the pre World Cup warm up match versus Wales, and then started his first game for England against France shortly afterwards. Due to lack of game time Smith was to miss out on inclusion in the 2003 Rugby World Cup.