Racing 92 produced a slick performance to leap-frog Nothampton Saints atop European Rugby Champions Cup Pool C, mixing powerful forwards play and dynamic counter-attacks to record a second bonus-point victory in as many matches and mark themselves genuine title contenders.
New Zealand legend Dan Carter stole the limelight on his debut for Racing, converting three of his team's five tries and producing a playmaking masterclass befitting a Rugby World Cup winner and three-time World Rugby World Player of the Year, but his forwards, in particular fellow New Zealander Ben Tameifuna, laid the platform for success in over-running the visitors in the first half.
Carter, whose post-World Cup move to Top 14 club Racing saw him become the best-paid player in rugby, featured in the opening score when he made space in midfield and fed another former All Blacks hero, Joe Rokocoko, who then gave the ball to Henry Chavancy to score in the corner.
Argentina winger Juan Imhoff then went close just minutes later, denied only by a desperate cover tackle from Tom Stephenson, but Racing were not to be denied much longer and Eddy Ben Arous crossed for another coverted score from close range after a series of attacking drives and pick-and-goes.
JJ Hanrahan kicked a penalty for Northampton, but the Saints' hopes of mounting a comeback were extinguished almost immediately, from an attacking platform, when Brice Dulin interceted a pass from Victor Matfield and sprinted 70 metres to score. Saints then were perhaps unfortunate to see an effort from Luther Burrell disallowed by referee George Clancy, who judged the ball had been touched down out of play using only replays on the big screens after technical faults denied him communication with the television match official.
Dulin crossed again shortly after half-time to secure the bonus point, after a barnstorming run and hand-off from Tameifuna, and Racing iced the victory, after Saints had a try ruled out in the 60th minute for a forward pass from Stephen Myler, with Imhoff put over by Rokocoko to cap a slick counter-attack that went from one side of the field to the other.