The gap in class is just Vass

Northampton 25 Cardiff 11

Cardiff are not impressed at being regarded as any old club under the Provinces plan designed to take Wales into the 21st century. They point out that apart from occupying the capital city, they have a turnover of £4.7m and made a profit last season, one of only three clubs in Britain – the others are Northampton and Leicester – to do so.

They will be bending the ear of David Moffett, the new chief executive of the Welsh Rugby Union, this week. Success in the Heineken Cup would not have done their cause any harm. As it is, they look as if they could do with a little mutual benefit. Not that there was much surprise in losing to a club who have ambitions on three fronts: the domestic league and cup and, of course, Europe.

Northampton have not been this gung-ho since lifting the Heineken Cup at Twickenham in 2000. What has put them in such a bullish mood was not yesterday's performance, which was no better than average to poor, but their exceptional victory over Leicester last week.

Cardiff, on the other hand, are in a bear market, particularly when it comes to Europe. This was their third successive defeat, and it will take an astonishing run of results if they are not to make another early exit.

They did surprisingly well in the first half, restricting Northampton to a four-point lead. In suffering defeats to Ulster and Biarritz, the Welshmen had not managed to score a single try, but they nearly rectified that within 30 seconds of the start. They took play to within a foot or so of the Northampton line where Rhys Williams was held up. Before Cardiff could capitalise, the referee Iain Ramage awarded them a penalty, which Iestyn Harris kicked.

The stand-off landed another from a much greater distance for a 6-0 lead after six minutes but they did not have long to savour it. After Paul Grayson had responded with a penalty, Northampton, even at this early stage, were so confident in the strength and ability of their pack, that they repeatedly spurned further kicks at goal. Instead, they preferred to kick to touch to set up a driving maul from the line-out. It soon paid dividends when the textbook assault (and what a boring book this is) resulted in a try for Mark Soden, although it could have been anyone of eight.

From the weapon of mass destruction that is the Saints pack to a touch of individual enterprise. Ian Vass, the understudy to the injured Matt Dawson, produced a try that even the England scrum-half would have been proud of. After a series of rucks, Vass dramatically changed the pattern, bamboozling the Cardiff defence by selling a dummy, followed by a neat swerve to beat Nick Walne before touching down at the posts.

In the context, it was a rare flash of inspiration on a bitterly cold day, although Cardiff's answer was immediate and similarly impressive.

Harris made a clever half break in midfield and managed, despite close attention, to off-load to Matt Allen and the former Northampton centre released Rhys Williams who was supporting at breakneck speed. The last line of defence forced Williams into an almost 60 degree change of angle and when he chose a diagonal route he had the pace to leave Ben Cohen in his wake. It remains Cardiff's only try in Europe this season, but what a score.

Harris continues to display all the signs of the great enigma. He does some things extremely well and others that force his supporters to hide their heads in their hands.

Back in it at 15-11, Cardiff proceeded to undo all the good work in the space of a few minutes either side of half time. Dai Young, the Cardiff coach who has been press-ganged into service in the front row because of injuries, received a yellow card when Cohen took a quick tap penalty. Instead of retiring, Young put in a tackle and then was forced to retire to the sin-bin.

In the opening minute of the second half Northampton caught Cardiff cold, Grayson breaking towards the posts where he delivered a perfectly timed pass to Cohen, who dived over, à la England.

At times the Cardiff scrum were in disarray and their hearts were not lifted by the sight of the Lion Tom Smith appearing midway through the second half. Smith had been relegated to the bench as a punishment for missing a players' meeting. Cardiff would love the luxury of being able to drop an international prop, rather than having to bring one out of retirement. It was Young's second yellow card in successive weeks and Cardiff's 10th of the season so far.

It even rubbed off on Cohen who flattened the replacement scrum-half Richard Smith with an elbow off the ball and retreated to the sin-bin as Northampton were restricted to a Grayson penalty in the final quarter.

Northampton 25 Cardiff 11
Tries: Soden, Vass Try: R Williams
Cohen Pens: Harris 2
Cons: Grayson 2
Pens: Grayson 2

Half-time: 15-11 Attendance: 10,234

Northampton: N Beal; J Sleightholme (R Ripol, 49), C Hyndman (M Tucker, 66), J Leslie, B Cohen; P Grayson, I Vass; R Morris (T Smith, 60), S Thompson (D Richmond, 63), C Budgen, S Williams, R Hunter (J Phillips, 63), A Blowers, M Soden, B Pountney (capt).

Cardiff: R Williams (N Robinson, 80); N Walne, J Robinson, M Allen, C Morgan (A Sullivan, 79); I Harris, R Powell (R Smith, 61); P Rogers (T Payne, 70), A Lewis (L Collins, 77), D Young, H Senekal, A Jones, R Appleyard (E Lewis, 61), D Baugh (D McShane, 78), M Williams (capt).

Referee: I Ramage (Scotland).