The tournament’s number one seeds opened up a 20-point lead against French giants Perpignan before running out 23-7 winners at the Stadium: mk on Sunday afternoon.

Tries from the impressive Ben Foden and ultra-consistent Jon Clarke gave Saints a dream 17-point advantage within half an hour as they made it eight wins from eight attempts in this year’s tournament.

Perpignan hit back with a try from hooker Guilhem Guirado just before the break but the 2003 runners up could have no complaints about missing out on a chance to claim a first-ever European crown in Cardiff on May 21.

Saints were simply sensational in the first 30 minutes as they laid the foundations for victory with their high-tempo approach.

Foden was the first to touch down for the hosts after Phil Dowson’s powerful break. The Northampton openside was halted just short after taking a narrow line off James Downey 40 metres out but the platform had been set for the easiest of scores.

Scrum-half Karl Dickson initially looked left at the resulting ruck but then switched play to the right where Saints had a massive overlap. Stephen Myler found Foden – one of three men who could have scored – and the England full back simply waltzed over unopposed.

Myler made up for an early missed penalty with a well-struck conversion from in between the 10 and 15-metre lines and Northampton were 7-0 up with a quarter of an hour played.

The first European Champions of the 21st century continued to dominate territory and possession, with Myler knocking over a 50-metre penalty to extend the lead on 24 minutes.

And when the former rugby league man made a mess of another long-range penalty attempt just moments later, Saints got lucky. Perpignan failed to deal with Myler’s scuffed effort, knocking on as the ball dribbled well wide of the right-hand post.

Saints won a penalty at the scrum that followed; chose to kick to touch; claimed the lineout courtesy of Courtney Lawes and scored through Clarke a phase later. The outside centre took Myler’s long pass, dropped his left shoulder and stepped inside his man to sprint over just to the left of the sticks.

Myler slotted the simple extras before kicking a second successful penalty on 37 minutes and Saints were 20 points to the good and looking in total control.

Having been comprehensively outplayed in the opening 39 minutes, Perpignan would have been delighted to enter the interval with at least a foothold in a game that looked as if it had already passed them by.

The travelling support had to wait until a minute before the half-time whistle for their side’s first try-scoring opportunity but it was worth the wait.

After opting to turn down a straightforward attempt at goal from a penalty just outside the Saints 22, the Catalan side kicked to touch, won the resulting lineout and drove Guirado over the line over from five metres out.

Full back Jerome Porcial added an assured conversion from 10 metres in from the right touchline and Perpignan suddenly had a lifeline.

The second-half was an equally lively but less high-scoring affair, although both sides came close within the first 15 minutes.

First it was Saints who nearly added to their tally when only a last-gasp tackle forced skipper Dylan Hartley into touch on 45 minutes. Referee George Clancy asked for assistance from the television match official but Hartley’s reaction and lack of celebration told the crowd what they needed to know.

Next it was Perpignan who came within a few metres of crossing the whitewash as another driving lineout almost brought the ultimate reward. This time Saints just about managed to stop the charge as they shepherded the rolling maul towards the left touchline and Soane Tongauiha – the man who made the initial burst for Hartley’s chance – supplied the crucial intervention.

Myler’s third penalty in between either side’s chances extended Saints’ lead to 23-7 and Perpignan never really came close to over-turning the 16-point deficit.

Saints now march on to the Welsh capital where they will face Brian O’Driscoll’s Leinster in three weeks’ time. And having beaten Munster at the last hurdle to win the Heineken Cup 11 seasons ago, Jim Mallinder and co will hope facing Irish opposition brings a similar outcome at the Millennium Stadium.