Saints down Strauss's Glasgow

Paris - Northampton Saints clawed back from a big deficit to defeat Glasgow 24-15 in European Cup action on Sunday, as Sale trumped Cardiff Blues in a 34-33 thriller.

Glasgow roared into a 15-point lead thanks to tries by Josh Strauss and Sean Lamont, Peter Horne nailing a penalty and conversion.

But Saints' stand-out Samoan centre George Pisi hit back with two tries, one converted by Stephen Myler, to make it 15-12 to the visitors at the break.

Myler then crossed for a try minutes after the break and Russian winger Vasily Artemyev also touched down to ensure a bonus-point victory for Northampton, European champions back in 2000.

In Salford, Sale left it late in beating Cardiff Blues, for whom Wales wing Alex Cuthbert scored a hat-trick, all converted by fullback Leigh Halfpenny who also notched up four penalties.

However, that haul was not enough as Sale, whose league form has so far this season been woeful, launched a comeback inspired by a Danny Cipriani try with 25 minutes remaining.

Mark Jennings and Tony Buckley also crossed the whitewash and, allied with 12 points from Nicky MacLeod's boot and Rob Miller providing a crucial penalty and two conversions at the death, Sale grabbed an unlikely yet vital victory.

Results from the first round of European Cup matches on Sunday:

Pool 4

Northampton (ENG) 24 Glasgow (SCO) 15

Pool 6

Sale (ENG) 34 Cardiff Blues (WAL) 33

Playing later (Kick-offs GMT)

Pool 2

Toulouse (FRA) v Leicester (ENG) (16:00

Toulon (FRA) v Montpellier (ENG) (21:00)

Saturday:

Pool 1

Edinburgh (SCO) 0 Saracens (ENG) 45
Racing Metro (FRA) 22 Munster (IRL) 17

Pool 3

Zebre (ITA) 10 Connacht (IRL) 19
Harlequins (ENG) 40 Biarritz (FRA) 13

Pool 5

Clermont (FRA) 49 Scarlets (WAL) 16
Leinster (IRL) 9 Exeter (ENG) 6

Friday:

Pool 2

Ospreys (WAL) 38 Treviso (ITA) 17

Pool 4

Ulster (IRL) 41 Castres (FRA) 17

Schedule:

2nd rd: October 17-20
3rd rd: December 6-9
4th rd: December 13-16
5th rd: January 10-13, 2013
6th rd: January 17-20
Quarter-finals: April 4-7
Semi-finals: April 26-28
Final: May 18 at Dublin