Paris (AFP) - Two tries from scrum-half Antoine Dupont and 17 points from the boot of full-back Thomas Ramos led Toulouse to a superb 42-27 win over Wasps on Saturday which all but guarantees the French club a place in the last eight of the European Champions Cup.
Saracens also strengthened their chase for the last eight with a hard-fought win in Cardiff.
Later, French champions Castres avenged a thrashing in Ireland in the previous round when they edged Munster 13-12 to stay alive in an extremely tight Pool 2.
In the other late match, Leinster thrashed Bath 42-15 to stay on the heels of Toulouse in Pool 1.
Four-time champions Toulouse ran in five tries at the Stade Ernest-Wallon to collect an offensive bonus point and make it four wins from four.
Even if they finish second behind Leinster they are likely to figure as one of the best two runners-up.
“Having 17 points after four rounds in such a tough group: we earned the right to have a little smile,” said Toulouse coach Ugo Mola.
Defeat for Wasps means they can no longer qualify.
France wing Yoann Huget crossed for Toulouse in the opening two minutes as the game opened at a frantic rate.
Billy Searle, playing in his first European game, scored a penalty for Wasps and then converted Josh Bassett’s try as the English side went in front.
Joe Tekori and Romain Ntamack hit back for Toulouse before Willie le Roux went over for Wasps’ second try.
At half-time Toulouse led 22-20 but in the second half the gap in class began to show as Dupont took the match beyond Wasps.
– Saracens inch closer –
Glasgow's Adam Hastings is stopped by Lyon wing Alexis Palisson, but the Glasgow fly half kicked 11 points to give his side victory
Two-time champions Saracens also moved closer to the quarter-finals after coming from behind at half-time to beat Cardiff Blues 26-14 and make it four wins from four in Pool 3.
Saracens made the perfect start at Cardiff Arms Park when Scotland winger Sean Maitland crashed over in the corner in the eighth minute. Owen Farrell was on target with the conversion and then added a penalty to open a 10-point lead.
Cardiff came storming back though with tries from Rey Lee-Lo and Dan Fish to take a 14-13 lead at the break.
Farrell put Saracens back in front with two more penalties before Jamie George’s late converted try sealed the win for the English Premiership leaders.
Farrell said Saracens were “too nice.”
Coach Mark McCall expanded on the theme.
“We’ve got a group that is very picky with incredibly high standards,” McCall said. “Today was about the result and getting it done, but overall there is a discontent with some of what we are serving up. There is more in us.”
Saracens top the pool with 18 points. Cardiff Blues have no chance of reaching the last eight with three defeats and one win.
Glasgow Warriors tightened their hold on second place in Pool 3 and maintained their last eight hopes after overcoming terrible weather conditions at home to beat Lyon 21-10, the French side’s fourth straight defeat.
Winger Niko Matawalu dotted down after just 45 seconds and added a second try later in the half as Glasgow, spurred on by the unerring boot of fly-half Adam Hastings, opened up an 18-3 lead by half-time.
Lyon hit back early in the second half with a try from centre Pierre-Louis Barassi but later had Etienne Oosthuizen sent off for a forearm thrust into the face of Hastings.
Castres beat Munster for the first time since 2004 as Paea Fa’anunu scored the only try, after 23 minutes, in a game played in the rain and dominated by kicking.
Loic Jacquet tackled Sam Arnold as the Castres defence stopped Munster
The home team played half of the second half with 14 after yellow cards to Rory Kockott and Marc-Antoine Rallier. Munster also had Niall Scannell sin-binned and helped the home team by squandering potential points.
Andrew Conway knocked on as he went to touch down his own kick for a try. Joey Carberry missed three of his seven penalty kicks including a potential match winner with 10 minutes left.
“The whole team wanted to win and you could see that in the way we defended,” said Kevin Firmin, the Castres hooker.
In Dublin, six different players touched down for Leinster as they swept Bath aside.
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