Cardiff number eight, Steve Williams, was denied after one early break from a scrum, but when he repeated it from closer range and the ball went loose in the tackle, scrum-half Howley was on hand to pick up and trot over against his former club.
Abendanon then rubbed further salt into Saracens wounds when he grabbed an opportunist, if controversial, try, hacking the loose ball on to touch down after scrum-half Michael Claassens' kick deflected off referee Tim Wigglesworth.
Cole has flourished this term in the absence of injured veteran Julian White, and cemented his reputation as a Test prop-in-waiting by demolishing Wasps loose-head Tim Payne in the scrum in a Premiership match last month.