Smith surpasses George Gregan's club record of 136 Super Rugby games when the Brumbies host rivals the Canterbury Crusaders at Canberra Stadium.

It is the same opposition and at the same venue where Smith and the Brumbies contested their last Super Rugby final, a 47-38 win against the Crusaders to seal the championship.

Smith, in his second-coming with the Brumbies, admits he left the Brumbies in 2010 feeling stale. His return, in his words, has ''reinvigorated'' his rugby.

''It's very early to start thinking about that, but I do want to win championships,'' Smith said. ''I'm happy to be a part of a team that wants to achieve big things.''

Smith has achieved almost every individual accolade available in world rugby - he's a two-time John Eales Medal winner, a four-time Super Rugby player of the year, has won the Brett Robinson Award as the Brumbies' players' player nine times and was a member of the Wallabies team of the decade.

Smith made a surprise return to Australian rugby this season after retiring from Brumbies and Wallabies duties in 2010 to move his career to France and Japan.

When he left he was regarded as one of the greatest players in Australian history after playing 128 games for the Brumbies and 110 Tests for the Wallabies. But a decade at the top had taken its toll.

Many experts said his departure from Australia, in 2010, was premature. Smith says he knew it was time.

''I wanted to experience different countries, different cultures … I felt there was more I could get out of myself if I was taken out of my comfort zone,'' Smith said.

''I love that rugby has allowed me to do that and experience [Japan and France] … but what it has done is reignite my passion to come back here and play Super Rugby.

''To come back here I feel reinvigorated … I felt stale going into the 2009 season, within myself I knew it was time and I'd made the decision [during the '09 Wallabies tour].''

When Smith eventually retires, he'll go down as one of the greats.

He's all but closed the door on another return to Super Rugby in the future, despite being committed to play for Suntory next season and negotiating an extension.

In his eight games this season he's been among the best players in each. He still sticks his head in a ruck to steal a ball for his team and opposition teams can't stop him.

Former Wallabies and Brumbies captain Stirling Mortlock believes Smith has returned to Australia a better player than when he left.

''George always rises to the challenge in big games, the bigger the stage the better he is,'' Mortlock said.

''Early in his career he contested every breakdown and probably got beaten up more. Then teams targeted him so he adapted and now he picks and chooses. He's got a freakishness about him, he does things no one else could even imagine doing. But the hallmark of a more mature George Smith is his defence and how much starch he puts into it now. He can really hit to hurt a lot more than he used to.''

The urge to compete against the world's best is the driving force behind Smith's desire to continue playing.

It's unlikely he'll be back in Australia in the future. But another Brumbies stint isn't completely off the radar.

He jokes his new Brumbies teammates were in primary school when he made his debut and he feels like the old man at the club.

But his performances and legacy bridge the gap between eras.

''I still have the competitive drive. That drives a lot of people at my age who are coming to the twilight of their careers,'' Smith said.

''I don't want to go back to reality and get a real job.

''I definitely feel I'm a more well-rounded player now.

''To pass George Gregan who's a good friend of mine is fantastic. I'm not in this game to achieve milestones or anything like that, but it's good to leave a decent legacy behind.''