James Lowe grabbed two tries as Leinster overcame defending Pro14 champion Scarlets 20-13 to move clear at the top of Conference B.

Winger Lowe bagged a first-half brace, while Luke McGrath touched down just 30 seconds after the break, as the Irish province prevailed in the battle between the top two in the pool's standings.

Scarlets at least picked up a losing bonus point thanks to Dan Jones' second penalty of the game in the closing stages, meaning it nows sit three points behind the leader.

In Conference A, Munster missed out on the chance to narrow the gap to runaway leader Glasgow as it suffered a 25-18 defeat at Cardiff Blues.

Jarrod Evans kicked two conversions and a pair of penalties for the Blues, which scored 19 points in the space of eight first-half minutes but were forced to withstand a second-half fightback from the visitors.

Tries from Chris Cloete and Stephen Fitzgerald – both converted by Ian Keatley – cut the gap to four points, only for Evans's reliable boot to push Cardiff clear again.

Tyler Bleyendaal slotted over a penalty with the final kick of the game to at least secure Munster a losing bonus point, although it now trails the Warriors by 16 points in the fight to secure a semi-final spot.