Northampton Saints have beaten Leinster 18-9 in Pool One of the Heineken Cup tonight.

The Saints had a brilliant start as George North went over from close range following a Luther Burrell offload with only five minutes gone.

Stephen Myler added the extras for an early 7-0 lead. The fast start continued as Ian Madigan opened Leinster's account from the kicking tee in midfield.

Northampton did well to stop their opponents scoring a try early in the second half, restricting them to a penalty which Madigan converted.

Myler gave Northampton some breathing space with a kick, but the match was very tight heading into the final 10 minutes.

Leinster moved to within one point of their opponents with another Madigan penalty, but Kahn Fotuali'i eased the tension with a kick of his own and Jamie Elliott secured the win with a late try.