South Africans overseas: Thomas du Toit shines with a brace of tries for Bath

Du Toit was phenomenal for Bath in his 65 minutes on the park. He scrummed with power and helped ensure they did not lose a single one of the set pieces while he was on the field.

He made several bruising carries and did what he needed to when called upon to defend, as well as adding two important tries to keep his side in the match until Northampton ran away with things in the final 15 minutes.

His first score put them back on level terms in the eighth minute, after the conversion. He received a neat offload from Josh Bayliss and bounced off Trevor Davison's attempted tackle before barging over the line.

Du Toit's second try came shortly after the half-time break to put Bath into the lead. Following a series of phases of pressure right on the Saints' line, Du Toit managed to tunnel his way through the defence up against the upright.

His influence on the match was noticeable when he was subbed off in the 65th minute and Bath's scrum looked considerably weaker for the remainder of the encounter.

It's likely no coincidence that this was also the period in which the Saints were able to take the game away from Bath, allowing them to pull away and record a 41-21 victory.

Herschelle Jantjies put in an energetic performance for Bayonne in their thrilling 35-34 win over Stade Francais in the French Top 14.

The scrumhalf was involved in everything the home side did going forward, making 75 passes and running for over 50 metres in four carries with two clean line breaks.

He did not have to do too much on defence but was solid in the tackle whenever needed.

World Rugby Player of the Year Malcolm Marx and Springbok teammate Cheslin Kolbe faced off against each other in Japan Rugby League One, with Marx's Kubota Spears claiming a dominant 79-20 win over Kolbe's Suntory Sungoliath.

Marx was a demon on defence, making 13 big tackles and jumping on rucks to threaten a turnover seemingly every time the Spears took the ball to ground.

His lineout throwing was also on point and his side used the set piece as a platform to attack with great effect throughout the contest.

Despite the scoreline, Kolbe can still hold his head high after a strong performance. The Springbok winger gained around 100 metres with ball in hand from 13 carries, including a clean line break. He also kicked 10 points for his side with two try conversions and two penalties.

Pieter-Steph du Toit put in another all-action performance for Toyota Verblitz but his side still suffered a 29-49 defeat to Kobleco Steelers.

Du Toit started the match at lock and played the full 90 minutes, making around 10 tackles while also chipping in with 11 bruising carries, which gained around 50 metres for his side.

The Springbok forward made a nuisance of himself at the breakdown too, gaining a couple of turnovers while constantly making it difficult for the Steelers to get quick ball from their rucks.

Jasper Wiese's Urayasu D-Rocks prevailed 34-21 over a Shizuoka Blue Revs side being captained by utility forward Kwagga Smith.

The two Springboks were two of the most influential players on the park, making notable contributions in all areas.

In terms of overall contribution, Smith probably just about wins out despite being on the losing team but it was close.

Smith made 10 tackles and gained around 80 metres from 17 carries with a clean line break, while Wiese made nine tackles and ran for around 60 metres from 16 carries.

Both players made the breakdown difficult for the opposition and grabbed a turnover or two.