🔗 Share this article

This English town isn't exactly the most glamorous destination on the planet, but its rugby union team provides an abundance of romance and adventure.

In a city renowned for shoe production, you could anticipate kicking to be the Saints’ main approach. However under head coach Phil Dowson, the side in their distinctive colors choose to run with the ball.

Even though playing for a distinctly UK town, they showcase a flair synonymous with the finest French practitioners of attacking rugby.

After Dowson and his colleague Sam Vesty took over in 2022, Northampton have claimed victory in the Premiership and advanced far in the Champions Cup – defeated by a French side in last season’s final and knocked out by the Irish province in a last-four clash earlier.

They lead the Prem table after four wins and a draw and travel to Bristol on matchday as the sole undefeated team, aiming for a first win at Bristol's home since 2021.

It would be typical to think Dowson, who participated in 262 premier matches for multiple clubs in total, consistently aimed to be a trainer.

“When I played, I never seriously considered it,” he states. “Yet as you age, you understand how much you love the sport, and what the everyday life looks like. I spent some time at a banking firm doing work experience. You make the journey a multiple instances, and it was difficult – you realise what you possess and lack.”

Conversations with former mentors led to a position at Northampton. Move forward a decade and Dowson guides a squad increasingly crammed with internationals: Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall, Alex Mitchell and Alex Coles were selected for England facing the the Kiwis two weeks ago.

An emerging talent also had a profound impact as a substitute in England’s flawless campaign while the fly-half, eventually, will assume the pivotal position.

Is the emergence of this outstanding cohort because of the team's ethos, or is it fortune?

“It is a mix of each,” says Dowson. “I’d credit an ex-coach, who basically just threw them in, and we had some tough days. But the exposure they had as a collective is undoubtedly one of the reasons they are so united and so gifted.”

Dowson also namechecks Jim Mallinder, a former boss at Franklin’s Gardens, as a significant mentor. “I’ve been fortunate to be coached by highly engaging people,” he notes. “Jim had a significant influence on my career, my management style, how I interact with people.”

The team execute appealing football, which proved literally true in the example of the French fly-half. The Frenchman was a member of the opposing team overcome in the European competition in April when the winger notched a triple. Belleau liked what he saw enough to go against the flow of English talent joining Top 14 sides.

“A mate called me and remarked: ‘There’s a French 10 who’s looking for a side,’” Dowson says. “I said: ‘There's no budget for a overseas star. Thomas Ramos will have to wait.’

‘He desires a fresh start, for the opportunity to test himself,’ my contact told me. That interested me. We spoke to him and his English was excellent, he was eloquent, he had a sense of humour.

“We questioned: ‘What do you want from this?’ He answered to be coached, to be challenged, to be in a new environment and beyond the French league. I was thinking: ‘Join us, you’re a legend of a man.’ And he has been. We’re lucky to have him.”

Dowson says the young Pollock offers a particular vitality. Has he coached a player like him? “Not really,” Dowson replies. “Everyone’s original but Pollock is distinct and special in multiple respects. He’s unafraid to be who he is.”

His breathtaking try against their opponents last season showcased his exceptional talent, but some of his expressive in-game actions have led to claims of overconfidence.

“He sometimes comes across as arrogant in his actions, but he’s not,” Dowson says. “Furthermore he's being serious constantly. Game-wise he has input – he’s not a clown. I think on occasion it’s shown that he’s just this idiot. But he’s bright and a positive influence within the team.”

Not many directors of rugby would admit to enjoying a tight friendship with a colleague, but that is how Dowson describes his connection with Sam Vesty.

“Sam and I have an interest around diverse subjects,” he says. “We have a reading group. He aims to discover various elements, wants to know everything, aims to encounter different things, and I believe I’m the alike.

“We talk about many subjects beyond rugby: films, literature, thoughts, culture. When we played our French rivals in the past season, the cathedral was being done up, so we had a little wander around.”

One more date in the French nation is approaching: The Saints' reacquaintance with the domestic league will be short-lived because the Champions Cup kicks in soon. The French side, in the vicinity of the border region, are the initial challenge on matchday before the Pretoria-based club arrive at soon after.

“I won't be presumptuous enough to {