Saints claim narrow win

Northampton got their Heineken Cup campaign off to a nervy start with a somewhat fortunate 18-14 win over a lively Castres side at Franklin's Gardens.

For parts of the match Castres were the better team and the home side can count themselves lucky to have come away winning after missing five kicks in the first half.

But tries from Bruce Reihana and Ben Foden plus five ponts from the boot of Shane Geraghty and a penalty from Stephen Myler saw them home.

Glasgow claimed revenge for last month's Magners League defeat at Rodney Parade as they opened their Heineken Cup campaign with a 21-13 home victory over the Dragons.

Tries from Graeme Morrison and Fergus Thomson sealed the win for the home side and although they had some shaky spells, their pace behind the scrum always had the visitors in trouble.

Ulster struggled to deal with a brave Aironi effort before registering an opening 30-6, bonus point win in Pool Four.

Meanwhile, Gloucester were denied a valuable Amlin Challenge Cup draw in France following a controversial last-gasp try by Agen in a 26-19 defeat.

Tongan number eight Opeti Fonua crashed over in the final seconds with the scores locked at 19-19, to complete an emphatic turnaround for Agen.

Elsewhere, Sale Sharks racked up their highest score in Europe with a 97-11 win over Cetransa El Salvador, while Ulster opened their campaign with an essential 30-6, bonus-point win in Pool Four's opening clash, stretching their unbeaten run to six games in all competitions.