Northampton may not be the most tropical destination globally, but its club delivers a great deal of excitement and passion.
In a town renowned for boot‑making, you would think kicking to be the Saints’ main approach. Yet under the director of rugby Phil Dowson, the side in green, black and gold prefer to retain possession.
Despite playing for a distinctly UK town, they display a panache typical of the finest Gallic exponents of expansive play.
Since Dowson and his colleague Sam Vesty took over in 2022, the Saints have claimed victory in the Premiership and advanced far in the Champions Cup – beaten by their Gallic opponents in last season’s final and eliminated by Dublin-based club in a penultimate round earlier.
They sit atop the league standings after a series of victories and one tie and travel to their West Country rivals on the weekend as the sole undefeated team, seeking a first win at their opponent's ground since 2021.
It would be natural to think Dowson, who played 262 premier matches for multiple clubs combined, had long intended to be a trainer.
“As a professional, I hadn't given it much thought,” he says. “Yet as you mature, you realise how much you appreciate the sport, and what the normal employment looks like. I had a stint at a banking firm doing an internship. You travel to work a several occasions, and it was tough – you see what you possess and lack.”
Discussions with Dusty Hare and Jim Mallinder culminated in a job at Northampton. Move forward several seasons and Dowson leads a team ever more crammed with national team players: key individuals were selected for England against the the Kiwis two weeks ago.
An emerging talent also had a major effect from the replacements in England’s perfect autumn while the number ten, in time, will take over the pivotal position.
Is the development of this exceptional generation attributable to the team's ethos, or is it chance?
“This is a combination of the two,” says Dowson. “My thanks go to the former director of rugby, who basically just threw them in, and we had difficult periods. But the practice they had as a collective is undoubtedly one of the reasons they are so close-knit and so talented.”
Dowson also mentions Jim Mallinder, another predecessor at Franklin’s Gardens, as a key figure. “It was my good fortune to be mentored by exceptionally insightful people,” he says. “Mallinder had a major effect on my professional journey, my training methods, how I deal with others.”
The team demonstrate appealing football, which proved literally true in the example of Anthony Belleau. The import was involved with the opposing team defeated in the Champions Cup in last season when Tommy Freeman registered a hat-trick. The player liked what he saw enough to buck the pattern of English talent moving to France.
“A friend phoned me and remarked: ‘We know of a French 10 who’s in search of a team,’” Dowson explains. “My response was: ‘We lack the money for a imported playmaker. Thomas Ramos will have to wait.’
‘He wants a fresh start, for the opportunity to challenge himself,’ my contact said. That interested me. We had a conversation with Anthony and his communication was incredible, he was eloquent, he had a sense of humour.
“We questioned: ‘What are you seeking from this?’ He answered to be coached, to be pushed, to be facing unfamiliar situations and beyond the French league. I was like: ‘Join us, you’re a great person.’ And he turned out to be. We’re lucky to have him.”
Dowson states the emerging Henry Pollock brings a particular enthusiasm. Has he coached a player like him? “Not really,” Dowson replies. “Each person is unique but Henry is unusual and remarkable in multiple respects. He’s unafraid to be authentic.”
Pollock’s breathtaking touchdown against their opponents in the past campaign illustrated his exceptional talent, but some of his expressive in-game antics have brought claims of arrogance.
“He sometimes appears cocky in his behavior, but he’s not,” Dowson clarifies. “Plus Henry’s being serious all the time. In terms of strategy he has ideas – he’s not a clown. I think at times it’s portrayed that he’s merely a joker. But he’s intelligent and great to have within the team.”
Few managers would claim to have having a bromance with a head coach, but that is how Dowson frames his partnership with Sam Vesty.
“Sam and I have an inquisitiveness around different things,” he notes. “We run a book club. He aims to discover all aspects, seeks to understand all there is, desires to try varied activities, and I believe I’m the same.
“We discuss numerous topics beyond the sport: movies, literature, concepts, art. When we faced Stade [Français] previously, Notre-Dame was being done up, so we had a quick look.”
A further fixture in the French nation is looming: The Saints' comeback with the Prem will be short-lived because the Champions Cup kicks in soon. Their next opponents, in the shadow of the mountain range, are the initial challenge on the coming weekend before the Pretoria-based club travel to soon after.
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