La Rochelle (France) (AFP) - Antoine Dupont came off the bench to help leaders Toulouse to a 42-25 win over local rivals Castres to move 12 points clear at the summit of the French Top 14.

Scrum-half Dupont helped set up two tries as a second-half substitute for the 24-time French title winners a week on from their Champions Cup quarter-final loss to Bordeaux-Begles.

The league win sealed Toulouse’s play-off spot but their aim remains an automatic semi-final berth.

“It was really important for us because the week wasn’t easy,” Toulouse centre Santiago Chocobares told reporters.

“It was difficult to move on quickly, the victory will help. We tried to play from everywhere, try things, and it worked tonight.”

Hosts Castres are now 10 points off Clermont in the final play-off place with five rounds of the season to play. Poor discipline cost them with three players shown yellow cards during the game.

Fiji centre Vilimoni Botitu, lock Florent Vanverberghe and Uruguay scrum-half Santiago Arata spent time in the sin bin for the home side.

Toulouse head coach Ugo Mola chose to start 2021 World Rugby player of the year Dupont among the replacements as he made a host of changes in the wake of their Champions Cup exit.

The visitors silenced a sold-out Stade Pierre-Fabre inside six minutes with two converted tries from back-rower Leo Banos and Belgium full-back Matias Remue.

However, Castres took control of the scoreboard by the break to lead 19-14 thanks to efforts by fly-half Enzo Herve, lock Guillaume Ducat and winger Geoffrey Palis.

Scotland full-back Blair Kinghorn left the field early in the second half with an injury, dealing another potential blow to Mola with Argentina’s versatile back Juan Cruz Mallia already ruled out for the season.

Three minutes later, Chocobares started the comeback by cruising over to level the scores, with Romain Ntamack’s conversion making it 21-19.

Former Castres half-back Dupont then entered the fray and helped Toulouse close out their first away victory against Castres since 2019 by laying on young prop Benjamin Bertrand’s try and also playing a role in Celian Pouzelgues’ late score.

Second-placed Pau moved three points clear in the semi-final spots with a 54-22 win at Bayonne earlier on Saturday, as France centre Emilien Gailleton’s 81st-minute try secured a bonus point in the Basque country.

Bordeaux-Begles also rotated their squad before going down 45-15 at La Rochelle six days after reaching the Champions Cup semi-finals.

With upcoming games against Montpellier in the league and Bath in the Champions Cup last four, coach Yannick Bru decided to make sweeping changes for the trip up the Atlantic coast.

The gamble did not pay off as La Rochelle ran in six tries with scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec getting two, while also making six conversions and scoring a penalty on his return from suspension.