Toulouse overcome a battling Connacht to take control of Pool Five in the Heineken Champions Cup with victory at Stade Ernest-Wallon.

Tom Farrell and Caolin Blade scored first-half tries for the visitors but Sebastien Bezy and Yoann Huget replied to put Toulouse ahead at the break.

Jerome Kaino's 64th-minute try proved to be the decisive moment as Connacht's challenge waned.

Pita Ahki crossed with the last play to secure the bonus point for Toulouse.

Although disappointed to concede a fourth try in the 81st minute, Connacht will take great heart from a thoroughly impressive performance against the reigning Top 14 champions.

Three quarters of this game was played on a knife edge with the Irish province leading on three occasions.

Connacht expose Toulouse defensive issues

After an even opening 10 minutes it was the visitors who struck the first blow when Tom Farrell, in for the absent Bundee Aki, burst through a gaping hole in the Toulouse defence to score.

The stunned home crowd did not have to wait long for parity to be restored as Bezy stayed on the shoulder of half-back partner Thomas Ramos to collect the offload and race under the posts.

Although impressive with ball in hand, Toulouse were struggling defensively as Connacht, directed by the excellent Conor Fitzgerald, continued to make inroads.

Connacht restored their lead on 25 minutes through Blade who, on his 100th appearance, benefitted from some destructive running from Colby Fainga'a to race in.

A yellow card shown to Fainga'a for a high tackle offered Toulouse the opportunity to regain the ascendancy, and they did so just before the break as Huget dived over in the corner.

Hosts race clear as Connacht tire

Fly-half Fitzgerald, selected ahead of Ireland international Jack Carty, was enjoying another impressive display and further increased his stock with a nerveless drop goal on 50 minutes.

That score would be Connacht's last, with Toulouse reverting to a forwards-based approach to attack as they ground down their opponents.

Kaino's try appeared inevitable as the hosts pushed Connacht back towards their own line over several phases with the penalties mounting.

Former Connacht player Ahki had the final say to secure the fifth point for Toulouse with a pick-and-go off the back of a ruck.

Toulouse: Ramos; Huget, Guitoune, Tauzin, Medard; Ntamack, Bezy; Baille, Mauvaka, Faumuina, Gray, Tekori; Placines, Elstadt, Kaino.

Replacements: Marchand, Du Toit, Aldegheri, Arnold, Tolofua, Cros, Ahki, Pages.

Connacht: Healy; Godwin, Farrell, Daly, Porch; Fitzgerald, Blade; McCabe, Heffernan, Robertson-McCoy, Dillane, Roux; Masterson, Fainga'a, Copeland.

Replacements: Delahunt, Burke, Bealham, Maksymiw, Boyle, Lloyd, Carty, Robb.

Worcester Warriors conceded two tries as they lost to Castres in France in their second European Challenge Cup Pool One game.

Duncan Weir opened the scoring early on with the first of his three penalties.

But winger Filipo Nakosi and flanker Baptiste Delaporte both crossed before the break, prior to Weir's second kick.

Weir's third penalty pulled it back to 14-9 but a penalty for Benjamin Urdapilleta sealed Worcester's fate, denying them a losing bonus point.

Added to his earlier two successful conversions, the stand-off's individual seven-point haul proved the difference between the two teams to cost Worcester a potentially key extra point.

Worcester had five of their key injured players back, stand-off Weir, centre Ryan Mills and full-back Chris Pennell, who all started, while scrum-half Francois Hougaard and prop Nick Schonert came off the bench.

But their much-changed side could not build on the pool-opening 57-14 win over Enisei-STM in Russia, finishing with 14 men after club captain GJ van Velze was sinbinned.

Worcester now sit second in Pool One behind Dragons, who followed their opening 31-17 win over Castres by beating Enisei 49-22 in Krsasnodar on Friday night.

Mills skippered Worcester as he became only the 23rd Warriors player to reach 100 appearances for the club.

Castres: Palis; Nakosi, Combezou, Ebersohn, Paris; Urdapilleta, Kockott; Tichit, Rallier, Wihongi, Samson, Capo Ortega, Delaporte, Gerondeau, Tulou.

Replacements: Dumora for Palis (41), Jenneker for Rallier (47), Gimeno for Capo Ortega (48), Vaipulu for Gerondeau (58), Batlle for Nakosi (70), Fernandez for Kockott (77).

Not used: Fa'anunu, Hounkpatin.

Worcester Warriors: Pennell; Humphreys, Venter, Mills (capt), Fidow; Weir, Heaney; Waller, Annett, Carey, Bresler, Kitchener, Hill, Lewis, du Preez.

Replacements: Black for Waller (47), Moulds for Annett (53), van Velze for du Preez (53), Schonert for Carey (53), Shillcock for Pennell (58), Hougaard for Heaney (58), Lawrence for Venter (63), Clegg for Bresler (64).

Sin Bin: van Velze (70).

Referee: Sean Gallagher (Ireland).

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Dan Biggar kicked a penalty in the 85th minute to seal a bonus-point Heineken Champions Cup victory for Northampton against Benetton after a second-half fightback.

Saints scored 17 second-half points with tries by Ollie Sleightholme and a second for Tom Collins before Biggar's decisive penalty.

Benetton led 25-15 at the break after tries by Hame Faiva, Iliesa Ratuva and Nacho Brex, but Collins and a Cobus Reinach try kept Saints in it.

The visitors move top of Pool One.

Saints made wholesale changes to their side from their opening-round victory over Lyon, replacing over half the team, but fly-half Biggar was one of seven players to retain his place.

The Wales international got his side off the mark with a comfortable penalty but the hosts seized the initiative when hooker Faiva powered over from close range.

Biggar then played a crucial role in the build-up to Collins' opening try for Saints with a no-look flick behind him to full-back Ahsee Tuala, who fed the winger.

Benetton regained the lead through Ratuva, but with the game evenly poised, Biggar took centre stage again after a dangerous tackle saw him spend the next 10 minutes in the sin-bin - something the hosts went on to exploit.

Centre Brex broke through in midfield before throwing a dummy to score his side's third try before Tommaso Allan kicked the Italians side further ahead.

But World Cup winner Reinach was alert to snipe through on the stroke of half-time, and with Braam Steyn in the bin for an accumulation of penalties, the visitors had a glimmer.

Sleightholme and Collins scored the tries to give Saints the lead, but a try from Faiva drew the scores level, before Biggar's late penalty completed his mixed afternoon to earn his side victory with the last play.

Saints are four points ahead of second-place Leinster, who travel to bottom side Lyon this afternoon, while Benetton remain third after picking up a losing bonus point.

Teams

Benetton: Hayward; Tavuyara, Brex, Benvenuti, Ioane; Allan, Duvenage; Zani, Faiva, Riccioni, Herbst, Ruzza, Pettinelli, Steyn, Halafihi

Replacements: Mancini Parri, Traore, Pasquali, Cannone, Snyman, Lazzaroni, Tebaldi, Keatley

Northampton: Tuala; Sleightholme, Proctor, Hutchinson, Collins; Biggar, Reinach; Van Wyk, Haywood, Franks, Moon, Ratuniyarawa, Gibson, Ludlam, Harrison

Replacements: Van Vuuren, Waller, Hill, Bean, Eadie, Mitchell, Dingwall, Furbank

Defending champions Saracens returned to winning ways in the European Champions Cup with a bonus-point victory over Ospreys in Pool Four.

Sarries, who were beaten by Racing 92 in their opening game, led 23-3 at the interval after tries by Jack Singleton, Alex Lewington and Rotimi Segun.

Winger Segun added a second to secure the bonus point after the break before a Richard Barrington try.

James Hook kicked Ospreys' three points from their solitary penalty in range.

Sarries shake off early season disappointment

Saracens' season has been mired in controversy after the club were fined £5.36m and stripped of domestic league points for breaching salary cap regulations, and they would have been delighted to field England trio Elliot Daly, Mako Vunipola and George Kruis in their first home game since deciding not to appeal against the decision.

Hooker Singleton, who also went to the World Cup with England, opened the scoring from the back of the maul, but it did not take long for the club's returning players to showcase their pedigree.

The impressive Daly - making his Saracens debut - caught a loose ball which was diverted into his path by a fortuitous kick by Tom Whitley, before gliding forward and drawing the defender to pop the electric Segun into space for his first try.

Segun then turned provider for his opposite winger Lewington to extend the advantage, before securing the bonus point in the corner after Daly's neat footwork and pass.

The hosts were rampant by that stage against an Ospreys side that had few opportunities in attack, and a penalty try was quickly followed by a score from close range by powerful replacement prop Barrington.

The visitors had a late chance to claim a consolation but Owen Watkin's loop pass was too high and long for his winger.

Saracens move to the top of the pool although Racing and Munster - who both won their opening games - have a game in hand, while Ospreys remain rooted to the bottom of the table.

Man of the match - Elliot Daly (Saracens)

'It felt much more like ourselves' - what they said

Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall told BBC Radio London: "It was good overall. We thought we were OK in the first half but we were sloppy at times.

"It was a much better second-half performance and it felt much more like ourselves. It is the first time the group has been together for five months and there has been a really positive atmosphere around the club because these lads like each other, so it's good we were able to put something on the field today.

"We are blessed to have a player who is fit like Elliot [Daly], can play in a few positions and can play like he did today which was outstanding."

Ospreys coach Allen Clarke told BBC Sport Wales: "There's undoubtedly a bit of self-belief missing among the group at the moment, based on the run we've been on.

"There's no lack of desire or effort but when you're chasing a confidence-boosting win this is a tough place to come.

"History has shown us on on the rare occasions teams have come out of the group after losing the first two, it's a big ask and for us it's more about week to week, trying to get boys back on the field.

"We picked up another couple of injuries, Tom Botha (ankle) and Bradley Davies (arm), which adds to the perfect storm we're in at the moment."

Teams

Saracens: Daly; Segun, Taylor, Barritt, Lewington; Manu Vunipola, Whiteley; Mako Vunipola, Singleton, Lamositele, Skelton, Kruis, Isiekwe, Earl, Wray.

Replacements: George, Barrington, Ibuanokpe, Kpoku, Christie, Wigglesworth, Lozowski, Gallagher.

Ospreys: Evans; Dirksen, Watkin, K Williams, T Williams; Hook, Davies; Smith, Otten, Fia, Beard, B Davies, Orie, Cracknell, Morris.

Replacements: Phillips, Thomas, Botha, Ashley, Cross, Venter, Price, Thomas-Wheeler.