In the second half of 1924 he was selected to tour South Africa with the British Isles. It was on this tour that the British Isles were first given the "Lions" nickname. Smith played in the first two Tests of the tour, both of them lost. He also played four non-Test matches during the tour, including one against Rhodesia where he scored two tries. Rowe Harding, an opponent with Wales and a team-mate with the 1924 Lions, reckoned Smith to be the "greatest wing of all time".