Saints retain perfect record

Northampton maintained their 100 percent Heineken Cup record with a stylish 23-15 Pool One victory over Cardiff at Franklin's Gardens.

The Aviva Premiership leaders nullified the early threat posed by the Blues to send Paul Diggin and Chris Ashton over for tries, with the excellent Stephen Myler converting both and adding three penalties.

The un-erring Dan Parks booted Blues into a 12-7 lead midway through the first-half but a fifth penalty 10 minutes from time was all Cardiff had to show for their efforts after the break as the dominant Saints ran away with it.

Cardiff made the early running and Parks kicked them into a third-minute lead, and the Scotland fly-half almost created the first try of the match when he kicked crossfield for winger Tom James, only for Ashton to deny him the score.

But the much-vaunted Saints pack started to assert their authority and they won good lineout ball after Myler had kicked for the corner, prop Soane Tonga'uiha charging forward while Dylan Hartley was held up short of the line.

Pressure

Saints continued to work the scrum rather than kick for goal as the Blues desperately defended their line, and finally the opening came on the left when Diggin dashed into the blindside gap to squeeze over after fast ball from scrum-half Ryan Powell.

Myler did well to convert from wide out but despite consistent pressure from the home side it was the Blues who went into the break with a 12-10 advantage thanks to Parks.

England lock Courtney Lawes twice infringed within five minutes to give the stand-off two long-range attempts at goal, which he duly converted, and when James Downey was sin-binned for a high tackle on James, Parks was able to make it four from four.

The numerical advantage only lasted two minutes though, as prop Tao Felise was yellow carded for handling in the ruck allowing Myler to reduce the deficit on the stroke of half-time.

And Saints took the lead two minutes into the second half after coming out with all guns firing, Roger Wilson hauled down just short of the Cardiff line as the visitors used all their defensive strength to stop the Northampton pack rumbling over their line.

Resources

But the numbers required left them short of resources out wide and the Saints whipped the ball to England full-back Ben Foden who sent Ashton over, with Myler again converting to restore the lead.

Two more Myler penalties, in the 54th and 66th minutes, ensured that Cardiff did not even have the consolation of a losing bonus point to show for their efforts despite a further penalty from Parks, after Lawes was sin-binned for playing the ball when he was off his feet.

Despite being a man down, Saints should have had another try when James completely missed Myler's high kick to the corner - but Ashton spilled the chance before booting the ball into the crowd in self-disgust.

There was still time for Hartley and opposite number Gareth Williams to be yellow-carded in the 76th minute for their part in a pack punch-up and, to add to the drama, there was a brief hold-up when some of the floodlights failed.