He was not prepared to talk about the problems that have afflicted the Otago Rugby Football Union this week.
"I've just concentrated on the Highlanders' game against the Crusaders this weekend and haven't thought about that too much," Smith said.
He was pummelled with questions from radio and the print media but refused to give any ground. How are the Otago boys feeling?
"We are just excited about playing this weekend in the new stadium," he said. "I'm not sure what's going on there."
Smith (25) deflected questions about being approached by other unions.
"I'm not going to comment on anything like that. I'm just waiting to see what happens and looking forward to this weekend." Will the woes of the Otago Union affect his career?
"I don't know what is going to happen there," he said. "I'm just eager to play in this new stadium."
Will it affect his income? "I'm just worried about this weekend. I haven't thought about anything else," he said.
"I just want to play the game against the Crusaders in the brand new stadium. It will be awesome.
"It will be the first time for the Highlanders and the boys are excited about playing in the stadium," Smith said.
About 18,000 tickets had been sold for the game by last night and a capacity 23,000 crowd is expected on Saturday.
"I went to a couple of World Cup games and there was a great atmosphere," he said.
"Hopefully it does sell out."
Smith grew up in Dunedin and watched the 1999 final from the stand when the Crusaders beat the Highlanders at Carisbrook.
"Back then I dreamed about playing for the Highlanders and Otago," he said.
"It is always special to fulfill those dreams.
"It's an exciting time at the moment with the Highlanders being in this venue," he said.
"The coaching and management team that came in last year are doing a good job."
It is an important year for Smith, who is on the verge of gaining a permanent spot in the All Blacks. But he is not getting carried away just yet.
"I'm just going to concentrate on playing for the Highlanders and hopefully things will happen from there," he said.
