Northampton beat Cardiff 28-12 to deliver England’s only opening-round win

Northampton defeated Cardiff 28-12 at Franklin’s Gardens on Sunday to become the only English club to win in the opening round of the Champions Cup. BBC Sport reported that Saints overcame a second-half recovery from the visitors in their Pool Four match, with George Hendy and Fraser Dingwall scoring after Cardiff had closed to within two points.

Watch the highlights:

James Pater and Toby Thame supplied Northampton’s first-half tries, giving the home side a 14-0 advantage at the interval. Slippery conditions contributed to handling mistakes, with both teams losing scoring opportunities through knock-ons near the line.

Cardiff recovered through Harri Millard and Mason Grady. Anthony Belleau’s yellow card for a breakdown offence helped open the way for Grady’s try, which cut the deficit to 14-12. Northampton responded through Hendy, with Pater adding the conversion to restore some breathing space.

Hendy also chased down Josh Adams to prevent a potential Cardiff try before Dingwall scored in the 78th minute. According to BBC Sport, Northampton finished without a bonus point because they could not add the fifth try required. Gloucester drew their opener against Bordeaux-Begles, while the other six English teams lost.

The visitors had substantially reshaped their team for the European assignment. Cardiff’s official selection announcement confirmed nine changes following their defeat by Leinster, with hooker Daf Hughes appointed captain for the Northampton fixture. Tom Manz was selected for his competitive debut alongside Rory Thornton in the second row, while Semisi Paea received his first start.

Cardiff also brought back experienced internationals. The club’s announcement identified Taulupe Faletau’s return as his first appearance since March and confirmed that Adams had recovered from a calf injury to take a place among the replacements. Jarrod Evans was selected for his first start since returning to Cardiff during the summer, with Steffan Emanuel and Tom Bowen also brought into the starting backline.

Selection decisions came with another fixture approaching. In Cardiff’s pre-match statement, head coach Corniel van Zyl said the club had planned for the five-day turnaround before facing Sharks and was balancing its resources across both games.