Saints held their nerve at Franklin's Gardens to grind out a pool victory over a Cardiff side that refused to go away.
Northampton got the job done in the Champions Cup, edging a tense pool clash with Cardiff at Franklin's Gardens to register the first English win of the campaign.
It was not a comfortable afternoon for the home side. Cardiff arrived tenacious and organised, and they made Northampton earn everything, keeping the contest alive and the Franklin's Gardens crowd on edge deep into the game.
In the end, Saints showed the composure that European rugby demands. Tournament pool stages are often decided by narrow margins, and finding a way to win on a day when the rhythm does not flow can matter as much as any flashy performance.
For Northampton, the result is a valuable early platform in their pool and a statement that they can win the tight ones. For Cardiff, it is a frustrating near-miss that showed real fight, and they will feel there was more to take from the contest.
