Bath took a big step towards the last 16 of the Investec Champions Cup with a 43-20 bonus-point win in Castres on Friday, while Edinburgh edged Gloucester.
The English champions scored six tries to go top of Pool 2 with 11 points, one more than Edinburgh.
French side Toulon, who won the three successive titles from 2013 to 2015, meet four-time champions Munster on Sunday in the other Pool 2 match of round three.
Castres made the early running at the Stade Pierre Fabre with hooker Teddy Durand going over after just four minutes.
Bath hit back through centre Cam Redpath before winger Nathanael Hulleu restored the French side’s lead.
But two tries in the space of three minutes from flank Ted Hill and hooker Tom Dunn ensured Bath would go in with a 21-17 lead at the break.
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The English side dominated the second half, adding a fourth try and claiming their bonus points when prop Beno Obano muscled over six minutes after the restart.
Wing Will Muir and replacement scrumhalf Tom Carr-Smith added further tries to seal Bath’s victory.
“This is a big competition and every point is crucial so to get a bonus point here, that extra point is huge,” Bath No 8 Alfie Barbeary told Premier Sports. “If you look at the group there is some fierce competition there.”
On an icy night at the Hive Stadium, Edinburgh staged a superb second-half recovery to edge Gloucester 26-24.
The home side were all over the place in the first half as tries from wing Josh Hathaway and flyhalf Charlie Atkinson took Gloucester into an 18-5 half-time lead.
Edinburgh roared back in the second half with tries from replacement hooker Ewan Ashman and flank Liam McConnell adding to the first half effort from scrumhalf Ben Vellacott. They went ahead after 67 minutes when Gloucester gave away a penalty try that secured Edinburgh’s bonus point.
With time running out, Gloucester chose to kick a late penalty to ensure that they too went away with a bonus point and a chance of qualifying for the last 16.
Investec Champions Cup Round 3 fixtures (SA times)
Saturday, 10 January
Bulls vs Bristol Bears (3pm)
Clermont vs Glasgow Warriors (5:15pm)
Leinster vs La Rochelle (7:30pm)
Sale Sharks vs Sharks (7:30pm)
Scarlets vs Pau (10pm)
Leicester Tigers vs Bayonne (10pm)
Sunday, 11 January
Harlequins vs Stormers (3pm)
Toulon vs Munster (3pm)
Bordeaux Bègles vs Northampton Saints (5:15pm)
Saracens vs Toulouse (7:30pm)
– AFP
Photo: Manuel Blondeau/INPHO
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