His team didn't win a Rugby World Cup match in England, but USA Eagles second-rower Hayden Smith played in their most competitive clashes in a tough Pool B - and ended his adopted nation's campaign by meeting Prince Harry at Buckingham Palace.
It was the Bullaburra native's second World Cup campaign for the USA, where he lived as a college student for seven years, even swapping codes for a season to play for the New York Jets in the NFL.
Now based in London where he plays for premiership club Saracens, Smith added size, strength and experience to the Eagles' forward pack against much higher-ranked rugby nations.
His role was to start most of the World Cup games alongside Australian-born second-row partner and Glasgow Warriors representative Greg Peterson, before being replaced with fresh legs in the second halves by US native and Cardiff Blues player Cameron Dolan.
Apart from a 64-0 hiding in their third pool match against South Africa (in a game Smith and most of the team's starting XV were rested for), the Eagles put up a fight and were within a converted try margin of their opponents until the last 15-20 minutes of each match before fading away.
After a brutal physical battle in their 25-16 opening loss to Samoa, the USA surprised eventual quarter-finalists Scotland (who went down to the Wallabies by a single point on Monday) by going into the half-time break at Elland Road, Leeds with a 13-6 lead.
Smith, 30, a former Blue Mountains Grammar School student, played for the first 43 minutes, helping to build a wall of defence the Bravehearts couldn't crack. It was the first time ever the USA led a tier-one rugby nation at the 40-minute mark.
But errors by the Eagles, fatigue and intense pressure built by the Scots allowed them to utilise their skill and class and score five second-half tries to earn a 39-16 win.
The Eagles ended their campaign by keeping neck-and-neck with the vastly improved Japan, who won three out of their four pool games.
Japan led 14-8 at half-time and extended that lead to 25-11, but despite having a player in the sin bin for 10 minutes, America struck back with a converted try to reduce the
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gap to just seven, before a penalty goal to the Cherry Blossoms in the 74th minute sealed them a 28-18 victory.
USA Eagles coach Mike Tolkin said Smith and Peterson were able to physically punish Japan after similar campaigns against the Samoans and the Scots and complemented fellow Eagles veterans for their efforts including captain Chris Wyles.
"Japan had an exceptional Rugby World Cup, but some of our unforced errors put them in very dangerous positions to score points," Tolkin said.
"We are a team that continues to grow - a team of emerging talent.
"I think that the fans of the Eagles saw glimpses of the possibilities that this team has."
After bowing out of the tournament, Smith joined his teammates and players from the other 19 Rugby World Cup nations at a reception at Buckingham Palace where they got to shake hands and chat with Prince Harry.
Earlier, he'd told the Gazette how he takes pride in every opportunity he gets to put on an Eagles jumper because "America played a big part in my life - it's where my professional career started".
Smith will now rejoin players from his club, Saracens, as the reigning Aviva Premiership champions make final preparations for the new season ahead.
Last season Smith played in several Premiership and Anglo-Welsh Cup games and helped Saracens' academy team, the Storm, beat the Wasps in the final of the Aviva A-League competition.
Saracens' director of rugby Mark McCall said "this season is unique because of the delayed start (due to the Rugby World Cup being played in England)".
"We're about to go into a period of a minimum of 25 consecutive weeks with a Premiership or Champions Cup game, so we'll need everybody," McCall said.
"It's going to be a real squad effort and we believe we've got the squad to do that."
