Smith's signature, when it comes, will be the last piece of the jigsaw to fall in place: the rest of the All Blacks senior leadership team and key players signed for World Cup duty months ago.
Smith never felt his passion or motivation had been waning, but he didn't want to automatically sign without being sure.
He took a calculated risk this time last year when he made himself unavailable for the final five tests.
He felt if he was going to be in the right shape to be an All Black in 2015 he'd need a near-five month sabbatical to preserve himself.
When he returned to action with the Hurricanes in February he asked for time and space to reach his own conclusions as to whether he'd done the right thing.
"During the course of Super Rugby I talked to Steve [All Black coach Hansen] and asked for a bit of time. I just wanted to know that I had that passion and drive.
"It wasn't waning or anything, I just wanted to make sure it was still there. It certainly was. It didn't take long. As soon as I was into the competition I was hating losing as much as I always did and loved winning as much as I always did."
Checking his motivation was one hurdle. The second was convincing himself his form was good, that he could still play test football.
Actually, it was more about being convinced that the coaching panel and his teammates were convinced he could still play. Again, that wasn't a particularly arduous task.
There have been a couple of quiet games -- driven more by conditions and the nature of the contest rather than any shortcomings on his part.
But even in those, his defensive play was relentlessly accurate and there hasn't been the faintest signal that Smith, who will turn 33 next week, has lost anything physically.
What has also been apparent is that he continues to make seemingly small but vital contributions throughout a game. There has been the occasional half break or delayed pass that has enabled the momentum to build. In Napier, it was Smith's perfectly weighted grubber that set up Julian Savea for the first try. His use of the ball, generally, continues to be as intelligent and decisive as always.
"I didn't want to be the sort of player who signs up for their own wont and play at a World Cup. I was only going to do it if I felt it was best for the team and I got that message pretty clearly from the coaching staff.
"I needed to make sure I was going to be fully committed next year. I felt the team deserved that in what is going to be a huge year and I am comfortable with that. I have made that decision now."
His decision to have a sabbatical has turned out to be critical.
The All Blacks are coming into the hard stretch of their season. The grizzly bit where they have to fly around the world twice to play seven tests in nine weeks against, mostly, the best teams in the world.
It's punishing. Draining. It can be the point when players, especially those who have been around a while, start to feel the monotony of training and living out of a suitcase.
Smith, perhaps because he knew he was taking a protracted break, felt a bit like that this time last year before the test against South Africa. Not now.
- Gregor Paul of the Herald on Sunday