Northampton beat Cardiff 28-12 to fly the flag for England
Northampton Saints opened their Investec Champions Cup campaign with a 28-12 win over Cardiff at Franklin's Gardens on 18 October, finishing the weekend as the only English winners in round one, according to BBC Sport.
The Gallagher PREM champions led 14-0 at half-time in the Pool Four tie. They struck through James Pater, Toby Thame, George Hendy and Fraser Dingwall to secure four points. They fell one try short of a maximum five-point haul.
Cardiff hit back with tries from Harri Millard and Mason Grady. Jarrod Evans added one conversion from the tee. The Welsh side are back in Europe's top tier after two seasons in the Challenge Cup.
It was a changed Cardiff team. The visitors made nine changes for the 17:30 kick-off at the DPD Stadium at Franklin's Gardens, part of the 2026/27 European Rugby Champions Cup, according to Cardiff Rugby.
Northampton played the last quarter a man down. Fly-half Anthony Belleau was sin-binned in the 60th minute for a breakdown offence, meaning ten minutes off the field for illegal play at the tackle contest. French referee Jeremy Rozier issued the yellow card.
For fans, this means context matters. English clubs endured a tough opening weekend, with Gloucester's draw against holders Bordeaux-Bègles the next-best result. Cardiff will look to home ties against Bath and Montpellier to kick-start their return to this level.
