Top 14: Toulouse run in four tries against Castres

Image: Toulouse flanker Imanol Harinordoquy runs at the Castres defence

Toulouse made it two wins from two at the start of the Top 14 season with a bonus-point 35-6 victory over Castres at Stade Ernest Wallon.

Castres had not won in Toulouse for 36 years and never looked likely to end that miserable run against the four-time European champions.

Castres were shocked at home by Stade Francais last week and last season's Top 14 beaten finalists are already enduring a mini-crisis.

Former England fly-half Toby Flood - who scored all of Toulouse's points in the opening 20-19 win over Oyonnax - edged the hosts ahead early on with a penalty before Rory Kockott equalised for Castres.

Flood missed two straightforward penalty attempts before Toulouse broke the deadlock with a try on 21 minutes.

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Gael Fickou made the initial break on the right wing, exchanged passes with Yoann Huget and scooted in under the posts, with Flood converting.

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Took control

Kockott and Flood exchanged further penalties as the half finished 13-6 but Toulouse took control just after the interval.

Three minutes in and a quick turnover and even quicker hands allowed Florian Fritz to put Jean-Marc Doussain over for a try which Flood converted.

Just five minutes later Doussain floated over a perfectly weighted chip to the corner which Maxime Medard collected on the run to score. Flood missed the conversion attempt.

Toulouse's Thomas Ramos had only been on the field for a matter of seconds before he was red-carded for kicking Mihaita Lazar, with the Castres man sin-binned for his part in the incident

Castres' Scotland flanker Johnnie Beattie was unfortunate to have a try chalked off for off-the-ball holding, but Toulouse had the last word as Sebastien Bezy darted in from close range and Flood converted.

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