Smith missed three crucial kicks when England narrowly missed out on a first win in New Zealand in 21 years in July's first Test in Dunedin, ultimately losing 16-15, and has spoken candidly about how tough that was to digest.
The 25-year-old found his radar in the second Test in Auckland but England let a winning position slip again in a 24-17 defeat, meaning they head into next month's autumn Tests against the All Blacks, Australia, South Africa and Japan with a meagre 50% winning record in 2024.
Smith is to remain in the No 10 jersey with George Ford recovering from a thigh injury and Steve Borthwick favouring continuity as he puts the squad through their paces at a warm-weather training camp in Girona this week. The Harlequins fly-half revealed the lengths he has gone to in order to improve his accuracy from the tee.
“Going into that week [in Dunedin], I was probably overthinking it,” said Smith. “I don't think I kicked that well towards the back end of last season, I felt I was a bit rushed, a bit tight on the ball.
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