London Irish clinched their first major trophy in impressive style at Twickenham on Saturday by beating Northampton 38-7 in the Powergen Cup Final.

The Exiles led 24-0 at half-time, and never looked like relinquishing that advantage, despite spells of sustained second-half Northampton pressure.

South African centre Geoff Appleford and Irish international wing Justin Bishop both scored two tries - Appleford's second an 80-metre effort after he intercepted Matt Dawson's pass - while full-back Michael Horak also touched down.

Fly-half Barry Everitt kicked 13 points, and all that Saints could muster in reply was a 60th-minute opportunist effort from England wing Ben Cohen that Paul Grayson converted.

Irish player/coach Brendan Venter, who has transformed the Exiles this season, was named man-of-the-match.

But while Irish celebrated, Northampton couldn't get out of Twickenham quickly enough. It was Saints' third cup final defeat in three appearances, but none of their previous losses had been as emphatic as this one.

Both clubs were seeking their first English cup final triumph, Irish having lost to Leicester 22 years ago and Saints coming unstuck on their two previous visits against Harlequins and Wasps.

Northampton made the early running, John Leslie unleashing his centre partner Peter Jorgensen through a defence-splitting pass, but Irish hit back when wing Paul Sackey intercepted Saints' possession inside his own half, and was only hauled down by full-back Nick Beal's timely tackle.

Everitt, who has amassed 297 Premiership points this term, failed miserably with a 50-metre penalty attempt on 11 minutes, yet Northampton immediately fell behind.

Horak's break put Saints on the back foot, and after Northampton conceded another penalty, set-piece possession was worked to Bishop, whose superb offload put Appleford over between the posts for a try that Everitt converted.

There was worse to come for a star-studded Saints side containing 14 internationals though, as Irish struck again just seven minutes later.

Appleford's try lifted confidence levels, and Venter's superbly-timed pass saw Horak go agonisingly close.

Number eight Chris Sheasby and scrum-half Hentie Martens both went solo after Irish recycled possession, and Horak gathered the ball to smash through Northampton's last defender.

Everitt's conversion made it 14-0, and Saints knew that they had to score next, but Grayson rifled an easy 27th-minute penalty shot wide, which compounded Northampton's misery.

Everitt showed the former England fly-half exactly how it should be done just four minutes later, when he found the target from 48 metres and hand Irish a resounding 17-point advantage.

Northampton just weren't at the races, and Irish sensed that they could finish them off before the break.

The outstanding Horak, relishing every opportunity to take on opposing defenders, chanced his arm from inside Irish's half - and Northampton capitulated.

Saints missed yet another one-on-one tackle, which allowed Horak all the time he needed to find Appleford in support, and Bishop finished off a 60-metre move without a Northampton player in sight.

A third successful Everitt conversion heralded the first chorus of Fields of Athenry, and no-one could blame an ecstatic Irish following for rejoicing.

Northampton ended the first-half desperately seeking a face-saving try, and such was their anxiety, that they sacrificed a kickable penalty only 20 metres out.

Saints put phase after phase together, but Irish's defence manfully held out, and the Exiles were fantastic value for their 24-0 interval lead.

Northampton needed to score first in the second period, yet Irish were in no mood to surrender territory, while Saints also suffered an injury scare when Dawson went down clutching his shoulder.

There was no obvious sign of an upturn in Northampton's fortunes, further emphasised when Appleford kept his cool by gathering a kick from half-time Saints substitute James Brooks, and then effortlessly running out of trouble from behind his own posts.

Too many of Northampton's powerful ball-carriers - notably flanker Andrew Blowers and lock Oliver Brouzet - took possession from static positions, and they proved easy meat for fired-up Irish tacklers.

Irish knew that the ball was firmly in Northampton's court, and were content just to close down their space, frustrating the living daylights out of them.

Saints coach Wayne Smith made a double front-row switch on 52 minutes, taking off England hooker Steve Thompson and Scotland prop Mattie Stewart, but one of his substitutes was immediately in trouble.

A scrum exploded into a flurry of punches, and after consulting with his touch judge, referee Steve Lander sin-binned Saints prop Robbie Morris and opposite number Michael Worsley.

No sooner had they left the field, than Northampton had opened their account when Grayson's crosskick was gathered by Cohen for a try that Grayson improved.

The score gave Saints' huge army of supporters hope that their heroes could somehow fight back, and Irish, for the first time, found themselves under sustained pressure.

A desperate last-ditch Everitt clearance confirmed how well Northampton had fought back, and where Irish previously had time in defence, everything was suddenly hurried.

Grayson's clever pass almost freed Leslie, and Northampton ploughed on relentlessly in pursuit of a second try that their territorial supremacy deserved.

But the clock continued to tick down, and it was Irish who had a final double say.

Dawson's intended pass to full-back Nick Beal deep inside the Irish 22 was intercepted by Appleford, who raced 80 metres for a try that clinched the cup.

Just to rub salt into a gaping Northampton wound, Irish still had one more try up their sleeve, scored by Bishop after Paul Sackey's kick and chase shattered the Saints.

It left Irish celebrating a famous victory - and Northampton crestfallen at such a calamitous collapse.

It was the day when the Irish painted Twickenham green.