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This English town may not be the most tropical location on the planet, but its rugby union team offers a great deal of excitement and passion.

In a place renowned for boot‑making, you would think boot work to be the Saints’ main approach. Yet under head coach Phil Dowson, the squad in their distinctive colors choose to run with the ball.

Although embodying a quintessentially English community, they showcase a style associated with the finest French exponents of expansive play.

After Dowson and his colleague Sam Vesty stepped up in 2022, the Saints have secured the English top flight and progressed well in the continental tournament – beaten by a French side in last season’s final and eliminated by Leinster in a last-four clash before that.

They sit atop the Prem table after a series of victories and one tie and travel to Ashton Gate on Saturday as the only unbeaten side, chasing a initial success at their opponent's ground since 2021.

It would be natural to think Dowson, who played 262 elite matches for various teams altogether, had long intended to be a manager.

“When I played, I never seriously considered it,” he remarks. “But as you get older, you comprehend how much you enjoy the rugby, and what the everyday life is like. I spent some time at Metro Bank doing a trial period. You travel to work a multiple instances, and it was difficult – you realise what you possess and lack.”

Discussions with Dusty Hare and Jim Mallinder led to a job at Northampton. Fast-forward eight years and Dowson leads a squad progressively packed with national team players: prominent figures were selected for the Red Rose versus the New Zealand two weeks ago.

Henry Pollock also had a profound impact off the bench in the national team's flawless campaign while the number ten, in time, will assume the No 10 jersey.

Is the emergence of this exceptional cohort because of the Saints’ culture, or is it fortune?

“It's a mix of each,” comments 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 group is certainly one of the causes they are so close-knit and so skilled.”

Dowson also cites Jim Mallinder, a former boss at the club's home, as a significant mentor. “I’ve been fortunate to be mentored by really interesting people,” he notes. “Mallinder had a significant influence on my career, my coaching, how I manage individuals.”

Saints play entertaining football, which proved literally true in the example of their new signing. The Frenchman was a member of the French club overcome in the Champions Cup in April when Tommy Freeman notched a triple. He liked what he saw to such an extent to reverse the trend of UK players joining Top 14 sides.

“A friend phoned me and said: ‘There’s a Gallic number ten who’s seeking a team,’” Dowson says. “I said: ‘There's no budget for a imported playmaker. A different option will have to wait.’

‘He desires experience, for the possibility to test himself,’ my contact informed 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 are your goals from this?’ He said to be trained, to be driven, to be in a new environment and away from the domestic competition. I was like: ‘Join us, you’re a great person.’ And he has been. We’re lucky to have him.”

Dowson says the emerging Henry Pollock provides a particular vitality. Has he coached an individual comparable? “No,” Dowson answers. “All players are individual but Pollock is unusual and remarkable in multiple respects. He’s unafraid to be who he is.”

Pollock’s spectacular try against their opponents previously demonstrated his freakish talent, but various his animated on-field actions have resulted in claims of overconfidence.

“On occasion seems overconfident in his behavior, but he’s not,” Dowson asserts. “Plus Henry’s not joking around all the time. Game-wise he has ideas – he’s a smart player. I believe on occasion it’s shown that he’s only a character. But he’s clever and great to have in the squad.”

Hardly any directors of rugby would claim to have enjoying a tight friendship with a colleague, but that is how Dowson describes his relationship with his co-coach.

“Together share an curiosity regarding various topics,” he says. “We run a book club. He wants to see everything, seeks to understand each detail, desires to try new experiences, and I think I’m the similar.

“We converse on numerous subjects away from the game: cinema, reading, concepts, art. When we played our French rivals last year, Notre-Dame was under renovation, so we had a brief exploration.”

A further match in France is coming up: Northampton’s reacquaintance with the English competition will be short-lived because the European tournament kicks in soon. Their next opponents, in the shadow of the Pyrenees, are up first on Sunday week before the Pretoria-based club travel to soon after.

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