Northampton beat Cardiff 28-12 in Champions Cup opener

Northampton Saints defeated Cardiff Rugby 28-12 on Sunday to secure the only win by an English Premiership side in the opening round of the Champions Cup. The hosts scored four tries to Cardiff’s two but did not earn a try bonus point. Northampton led 14-0 at halftime after tries from James Pater and Toby Thame. Rain and slippery conditions contributed to handling errors and a stop-start contest, according to match reports. Cardiff briefly appeared to have scored before halftime, but a review ruled out Tom Manz’s try after the ball came loose as he grounded it. Cardiff narrowed the gap early in the second half when Harri Millard scored and Jarrod Evans converted. After Northampton fly-half Anthony Belleau was sent to the sin bin, Mason Grady crossed for an unconverted try to make the score 14-12 and put Cardiff within two points. George Hendy restored Northampton’s lead with a try, keeping hold of the ball after juggling it as he went over. He then made a covering tackle on Josh Adams near the try line to prevent another Cardiff score. Fraser Dingwall added Northampton’s fourth try late in the match, but the hosts did not score the fifth try required for a bonus point under...