South Africans overseas: Jesse Kriel the standout for Yokohama Canon Eagles

The seasoned Springbok centre was a constant danger with ball in hand, gaining over 110 metres from eight carries with three clean line breaks.

Kriel also provided a lovely offload that led to the team's second try and grabbed a five-pointer of his own to begin their fightback in the second half.

The Bok star received the ball inside his own half and burst through a gap in the Spears' midfield before breaking through the tackle attempt by the covering fullback and winning the long race to the tryline for a wonderful score.

Unfortunately, a poor first half that saw them 21-0 down at the break was too much to overcome in the end.

Franco Mostert captained the Honda Heat, who suffered a heavy 66-19 defeat to the Saitama Wild Knights.

Mostert led from the front and put his body on the line in a tough match, making 19 bruising tackles with his team on the back foot for most of the game.

The Springbok lock was also a reliable receiver at lineout time and challenged the Wild Knights' throw-ins well, grabbing a steal in the second half.

Damian de Allende started at inside centre for the Wild Knights and was an important playmaker for his side with 11 passes and three key offloads that led to points.

He also made around 100 metres from 12 carries with two clean line breaks and helped his side stay on the front foot with some inventive play that kept the Heat defenders guessing.

Jasper Wiese started on the flank for the Urayasu D-Rocks, who were thrashed 78-19 by the Kobe Steelers.

Wiese was very busy around the tight areas, hitting rucks all game and trying to slow the ball down for the rampant Steelers.

He also hit the gainline often with 11 carries that resulted in 36 metres gained for his side.

Lukhanyo am featured at outside centre for the Mitsubishi Dynaboars in their narrow 31-29 loss to the Toyota Verblitz.

Am was solid on defence, making eight tackles and ensuring his channel was not an easy one to attack.

He also had an offload that eventually led to a try in the second half, but a late Siosaia Fifita try on the stroke of full-time stole the win for Verblitz.

Kwagga Smith captained the Shizuoka Blue Revs in their 24-57 loss to Suntory Sungoliath.

Smith started at eighth man and made seven tackles while also making around 30 metres from seven carries before he was substituted in the 53rd minute.

The utility forward burned through his energy in a busy performance and was a constant presence at ruck time throughout his time on the pitch.

Herschel Jantjies made an appearance off the bench in Bayonne's 38-15 loss to Clermont in the Top 14.

Jantjies added some much-needed energy to the flagging Clermont backline, which led to a late try to give the scoreline a bit more respectability.

Arno Botha packed down on the flank in Lyon's nail-biting 13-13 draw with Toulon.

The Springbok forward was a rock on defence in a tight game, making 12 tackles while also providing 23 crucial metres with ball-in-hand from five carries around the rucks.