Connacht took a major step towards the quarter-finals of the Amlin Challenge Cup with a 19-7 defeat of Worcester at the Sportsground.
Mike Ruddock's Worcester team reached the semi-finals of last year's competition but a second defeat in the space of a week to Connacht looks to have ended their interest in Europe this season.
Worcester travelled with hopes of reversing their surprise 26-21 loss at home last week and full-back Chris Pennell gave them the perfect start when he scored the game's first try on 24 minutes, converted by outside-half Matthew Jones.
However, the home team mastered the conditions on a cold and blustery night to lead 8-7 at the break through the boot of fly-half Ian Keatley and a score from flanker John Muldoon.
Gavin Duffy extended the advantage early in the second half though it was not until Keatley kicked a second penalty 10 minutes from time that Worcester simply had too much to do.
A late Keatley drop goal denied the Warriors the chance of a losing bonus point and left Connacht eyeing a place in the last eight.
Elsewhere, Newcastle suffered their first defeat in Pool Five, going down 24-19 to Montauban.
Outside-half Jimmy Gopperth kicked 14 points, including the conversion of Gcobani Bobo's second-half try.
That was not enough to overcome tries by Gregory Argenese and Adrien Figueiredo in either half, although a late penalty by Gopperth ensured the Falcons snatched a potentially crucial losing bonus point at Stade Sapiac and remain three points clear of the French club in the pool.
Hooker Argenese barged over on 22 minutes and scrum-half Julien Audy added three kicks as Montauban raced into a 16-3 lead.
However Gopperth reduced the deficit either side of half-time after Montauban prop Nick Adams was yellow-carded.
Bobo brought Newcastle back into the tie when he raced through on 64 minutes but the Falcons failed to repeat the score in a tense climax which saw Mathieu Belie and Danny Williams sin-binned late on.
