🔗 Share this article

This English town is hardly the most exotic destination globally, but its club provides a great deal of romance and adventure.

In a town renowned for footwear manufacturing, you would think kicking to be the Saints’ main approach. However under leader Phil Dowson, the squad in green, black and gold choose to keep ball in hand.

Although playing for a quintessentially English location, 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 won the Premiership and progressed well in the continental tournament – losing to Bordeaux-Bègles in last season’s final and knocked out by Dublin-based club in a penultimate round earlier.

They lead the competition ladder after multiple successes and a single stalemate and visit Ashton Gate on Saturday as the only unbeaten side, aiming for a first win at Ashton Gate since 2021.

It would be typical to think Dowson, who played 262 top-flight games for Newcastle, Northampton and Worcester combined, always planned to be a manager.

“As a professional, I didn't really think about it,” he says. “Yet as you age, you comprehend how much you love the rugby, and what the normal employment entails. I had a stint at a financial institution doing a trial period. You make the journey a multiple instances, and it was tough – you grasp what you have going for you.”

Conversations with former mentors led to a job at the Saints. Fast-forward several seasons and Dowson manages a squad increasingly filled with national team players: prominent figures were selected for the national side facing the the Kiwis two weeks ago.

An emerging talent also had a major effect off the bench in England’s successful series while Fin Smith, in time, will inherit the pivotal position.

Is the development of this outstanding cohort attributable to the Saints’ culture, or is it fortune?

“It's a combination of the two,” states Dowson. “I would acknowledge Chris Boyd, who gave them opportunities, and we had some tough days. But the practice they had as a collective is undoubtedly one of the reasons they are so tight and so talented.”

Dowson also cites Mallinder, an earlier coach at the club's home, as a major influence. “I was lucky to be mentored by really interesting people,” he says. “Jim had a significant influence on my professional journey, my management style, how I interact with people.”

The team play entertaining football, which became obvious in the instance of Anthony Belleau. The Gallic player was a member of the French club beaten in the European competition in the spring when Tommy Freeman registered a hat-trick. Belleau admired the style enough to buck the pattern of English talent heading across the Channel.

“An associate rang me and remarked: ‘There’s a Gallic number ten who’s in search of a side,’” Dowson recalls. “I replied: ‘There's no funds for a French fly-half. Another target will have to wait.’

‘He wants new challenges, for the chance to test himself,’ my contact informed me. That intrigued us. We had a conversation with Belleau and his English was incredible, he was eloquent, he had a sense of humour.

“We inquired: ‘What are your goals from this?’ He responded to be guided, to be pushed, to be outside his comfort zone and away from the French league. I was thinking: ‘Welcome aboard, you’re a fantastic individual.’ And he proved to be. We’re blessed to have him.”

Dowson comments the 20-year-old the flanker offers a unique enthusiasm. Has he coached an individual like him? “Never,” Dowson replies. “Everyone’s unique but Pollock is distinct and special in multiple respects. He’s unafraid to be himself.”

His breathtaking touchdown against Leinster last season illustrated his freakish ability, but various his animated on-field antics have brought allegations of arrogance.

“He sometimes comes across as cocky in his behavior, but he’s the opposite,” Dowson asserts. “Plus Pollock is not joking around constantly. In terms of strategy he has ideas – he’s no fool. I think sometimes it’s shown that he’s just this idiot. But he’s intelligent and great to have to have around.”

Hardly any managers would admit to having a bromance with a head coach, but that is how Dowson frames his connection with his co-coach.

“We both share an curiosity about different things,” he says. “We maintain a book club. He aims to discover various elements, aims to learn everything, wants to experience varied activities, and I feel like I’m the alike.

“We converse on many things beyond rugby: movies, reading, concepts, creativity. When we played our French rivals in the past season, the cathedral was under renovation, so we had a brief exploration.”

A further fixture in France is approaching: Northampton’s reacquaintance with the domestic league will be short-lived because the Champions Cup takes over soon. Pau, in the vicinity of the mountain range, are up first on matchday before the Pretoria-based club travel to the following weekend.

“I refuse to be overconfident to the extent to {