Northampton beat Cardiff 28-12 in Champions Cup opening round — BBC Sport

In Northampton, England, Northampton Saints defeated Welsh side Cardiff 28-12 in a first-round Champions Cup match. The hosts became the only English team to claim a victory in the tournament’s opening round, BBC Sport reports.

Home side’s advantage before the break

At Franklin's Gardens, Northampton led 14-0 in the first half. James Pater opened the scoring by finishing off an attack with a supporting run, while Toby Tame scored the hosts’ second try around the 20th minute.

The match was played in difficult conditions, which led to mistakes by both teams. Northampton number eight Callum Chick and Cardiff lock Tom Manz lost the ball while attempting to ground it in the opposition’s in-goal area.

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Cardiff reduce the deficit

After the break, Cardiff, who returned to Europe’s main club tournament after two seasons in the Challenge Cup, reduced the deficit through tries from Harry Millard and Mason Grady. In the 60th minute, the score became 14-12: before that, Saints fly-half Anthony Belleau received a yellow card for an infringement during a contest for the ball.

However, Northampton quickly restored their advantage as George Hendy scored a try and Pater converted it. Hendy later also stopped Josh Adams, preventing the Cardiff player from grounding the ball in the in-goal area.

Four tries without a bonus

In the 78th minute, Fraser Dingwall scored the hosts’ fourth try. However, Northampton were unable to score a fifth, which would have earned the team a bonus point. In their next Champions Cup match, the English club will play away against Stade Français in December, while Cardiff will host Bath.