🔗 Share this article

Northampton may not be the most exotic spot globally, but its squad provides an abundance of romance and adventure.

In a place renowned for shoe production, you would think boot work to be the Saints’ main approach. But under head coach Phil Dowson, the side in the club's hues prefer to run with the ball.

Although embodying a quintessentially English community, they exhibit a style synonymous with the greatest Gallic practitioners of champagne rugby.

From the time Dowson and the head coach Sam Vesty stepped up in 2022, Northampton have claimed victory in the domestic league and advanced far in the Champions Cup – losing to Bordeaux-Bègles in last season’s final and eliminated by Leinster in a penultimate round previously.

They currently top the competition ladder after four wins and a draw and visit their West Country rivals on Saturday as the just one without a loss, chasing a first win at Bristol's home since 2021.

It would be expected to think Dowson, who featured in 262 elite matches for Newcastle, Northampton and Worcester combined, had long intended to be a coach.

“During my career, I hadn't given it much thought,” he remarks. “But as you age, you comprehend how much you enjoy the game, and what the everyday life looks like. I had a stint at Metro Bank doing a trial period. You travel to work a multiple instances, and it was challenging – you realise what you have going for you.”

Conversations with club legends culminated in a job at the Saints. Fast-forward eight years and Dowson guides a team progressively filled with internationals: prominent figures lined up for the Red Rose facing the the Kiwis two weeks ago.

Henry Pollock also had a profound impact from the replacements in England’s successful series while the fly-half, down the line, will inherit the No 10 jersey.

Is the development of this exceptional cohort due to the team's ethos, or is it chance?

“It's a mix of each,” comments Dowson. “I’d credit an ex-coach, who basically just threw them in, and we had difficult periods. But the practice they had as a group is definitely one of the reasons they are so close-knit and so gifted.”

Dowson also namechecks Jim Mallinder, a former boss at their stadium, as a major influence. “I was lucky to be mentored by exceptionally insightful individuals,” he adds. “He had a significant influence on my career, my management style, how I interact with people.”

Saints execute appealing the game, which became obvious in the instance of their new signing. The Gallic player was part of the opposing team defeated in the Champions Cup in April when Freeman registered a hat-trick. He admired the style enough to go against the flow of UK players joining Top 14 sides.

“A mate phoned me and remarked: ‘We've found a French 10 who’s in search of a team,’” Dowson recalls. “My response was: ‘We lack the funds for a French fly-half. Another target will have to wait.’

‘He’s looking for experience, for the possibility to test himself,’ my friend informed me. That intrigued us. We met with him and his language skills was outstanding, he was eloquent, he had a witty personality.

“We inquired: ‘What do you want from this?’ He said to be coached, to be challenged, to be facing unfamiliar situations and beyond the French league. I was thinking: ‘Welcome aboard, you’re a legend of a man.’ And he has been. We’re lucky to have him.”

Dowson says the young Pollock brings a unique enthusiasm. Has he coached a player comparable? “Never,” Dowson responds. “Each person is original but Pollock is unusual and remarkable in multiple respects. He’s unafraid to be who he is.”

The player's spectacular touchdown against Leinster last season demonstrated his unusual talent, but some of his demonstrative in-game actions have resulted in allegations of overconfidence.

“He sometimes seems arrogant in his actions, but he’s not,” Dowson asserts. “And Pollock is not taking the piss all the time. Game-wise he has input – he’s not a clown. I believe on occasion it’s portrayed that he’s just this idiot. But he’s intelligent and good fun in the squad.”

Few coaches would describe themselves as sharing a close bond with a colleague, but that is how Dowson characterizes his partnership with Vesty.

“Together share an curiosity around various topics,” he notes. “We have a literary circle. He aims to discover all aspects, seeks to understand each detail, wants to experience varied activities, and I think I’m the similar.

“We converse on lots of things away from the sport: movies, reading, ideas, creativity. When we met our French rivals last year, the cathedral was under renovation, so we had a quick look.”

A further date in France is looming: Northampton’s return with the English competition will be temporary because the European tournament takes over next week. The French side, in the shadow of the border region, are the initial challenge on the coming weekend before the Pretoria-based club travel to soon after.

“I’m not going to be presumptuous sufficiently to {