A big-name Wallaby has commanded all the headlines overseas after a brutal injury to Will Skelton looks to have ended his season.
It comes as the Japanese season continues to heat up, with several Aussies heavily involved over the weekend.
Watch every second of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season live and on demand via Stan Sport.
Rugby.com.au looks at the weekend that was in 'Aussies Abroad.'
The big news from the weekend was the reported ruptured Achilles to Wallabies giant Will Skelton in La Rochelle's 26-15 defeat to Bayonne.
Skelton suffered the injury trying to step in the 32nd minute, staying down for several minutes before limping off the field.
"There's a suspected Achilles tendon rupture," La Rochelle assistant coach Remi Tales said.
"It's tough for a player like him, given the effort he's put in to come back after his calf injury. We're all thinking of him and hope he recovers quickly, because we need him."
Further confirmation is set to come from the club in the coming days, with Skelton posting to social media in a moon boot with the caption "C'est la vie" - French for "that's life."
It was better news for winger Jordan Petaia, called into action early off the bench as Perpignan got a crucial 36-20 win over Toulon.
Jack Maddocks also started for Pau as they took down Taniela Tupou's Racing 92 21-17.
In England, Tom Hooper continued his successful return from injury with two turnovers in Exeter's 38-14 win over Gloucester, while Angus Bell came off the bench for Ulster in their 28-12 win over Zebre in the URC.
Former Wallabies flyhalf Bernard Foley has bossed the battle of the trans-Tasman No.10s, scoring 19 points as Spears Funabashi Bay thumped All Black Richie Mo'unga's Brave Lupus Tokyo 51-7 in Japan Rugby League One.
The 36-year-old, who is the competition's leading individual scorer, picked up his third try of the season on Saturday to extend his points tally to 150.
The Spears' 25th victory in a row at western Tokyo's Spears Edoriku Field, where they are unbeaten, returned the 2022-23 champions to the top of the table after previous leaders Saitama Wild Knights failed to secure a try-scoring bonus point in their dramatic 36-34 win over Tokyo Sungoliath.
Sean McMahon came off the bench for Sungolitath but was forced to watch on as the Wild Knights scored an 84th minute winner.
Sunday's games saw three-Test Wallabies prop Paddy Ryan on the scoresheet as fifth-placed BlackRams Tokyo crushed Sagamihara Dynaboars 33-7.
Israel Folau's seventh try of the season wasn't enough for Urayasu D-Rocks who fell to their ninth consecutive defeat, outclassed 43-17 by Mie Heat.
