His first big test will come on Saturday when North Otago hosts Wairarapa-Bush in a semifinal of the Meads Cup.
North Otago lost to Wairarapa Bush in the first round of the competition but Smith expects to reverse that result on Saturday.
''We've come a long way since that first game,'' he said.
''The home ground crowd will help us.
''Their support is important to us. It makes a big difference because you want to do well for your old province.
''Some of the guys who back us have been watching the Old Golds for the last 30 to 40 years. It's great to be representing my home province again.''
North Otago last won the Meads Cup when it beat Wanganui 39-18 in 2010 and Smith believes his side has a good chance this year.
Smith has played his rugby in Dunedin for the past six years and represents North Otago at halfback as a state of origin player.
Smith (24), a Dunedin builder, grew up on a sheep and beef farm at Maheno and played for North Otago age-group teams when he was halfback in the St Kevin's College First XV in 2005-07.
He came to the ''big smoke'' after that and was in the Dunedin team that won the premier banner in 2009.
He has been halfback for Southern for the past four years.
This is his first year with North Otago and he is proud to wear the Old Golds jersey. His father, Lindsay Smith, played for North Otago in the 1980s.
''I have enjoyed it,'' Smith said.
''It's been great fun going around the country to places like Ruatoria that I'd never have travelled to if it wasn't for rugby.''
He found the standard of rugby in the Heartland championship different from Dunedin premier rugby.
''The average age of Dunedin rugby players is a lot younger,''he said.
''There are a lot more older guys in the Heartland competition. It's a lot more physical but not as quick.''
His highlights of the North Otago season have been wins over East Coast at Ruatoria and Mid Canterbury at Oamaru.
Southern clubmates Ben Patston and Luke Herden were members of the North Otago team that won the Meads Cup in 2010.
''I asked them before I went up if it would be a good idea and they told me to go for it,'' Smith said. Smith makes the 2hr 30min return journey to Oamaru for North Otago training with fellow Dunedin loan players Will Henry (prop) and Josh Clark (flanker) twice a week.
Smith played for the South Island secondary schools when he was at St Kevin's College and, since coming to Dunedin, has played for Otago Colts for three years and Otago B for two years.
''North Otago is another chapter for me,'' Smith said.
''I wanted to challenge myself and try something different.''
Smith's older brother, Craig, has played representative cricket for the Otago Volts.
Robbie Smith
The facts
Age: 24
Occupation: Builder
Home town: Dunedin
Education: St Kevin's College
Sport: Rugby
Position: Halfback
Record: St Kevin's College First XV (2005-07); South Island secondary schools (2007); Dunedin (banner 2009), Southern (2010-13), North Otago (2013).
