🔗 Share this article

Northampton is hardly the most tropical spot on the planet, but its rugby union team provides a great deal of excitement and passion.

In a city famous for footwear manufacturing, you would think boot work to be the Saints’ modus operandi. Yet under head coach Phil Dowson, the team in their distinctive colors opt to keep ball in hand.

Even though representing a quintessentially English location, they showcase a style typical of the finest Gallic exponents of expansive play.

After Dowson and the head coach Sam Vesty assumed control in 2022, the Saints have won the domestic league and gone deep in the European competition – beaten by Bordeaux-Bègles in last season’s final and ousted by Leinster in a penultimate round previously.

They currently top the competition ladder after four wins and a draw and travel to their West Country rivals on the weekend as the only unbeaten side, aiming for a first win at Ashton Gate since 2021.

It would be natural to think Dowson, who featured in 262 premier fixtures for various teams combined, had long intended to be a manager.

“When I played, I never seriously considered it,” he states. “However as you get older, you comprehend how much you love the game, and what the normal employment looks like. I had a stint at a banking firm doing work experience. You do the commute a multiple instances, and it was tough – you see what you do and don’t have.”

Talks with Dusty Hare and Jim Mallinder resulted in a job at the Saints. Jump ahead a decade and Dowson manages a squad ever more crammed with national team players: prominent figures started for the Red Rose against the the Kiwis two weeks ago.

An emerging talent also had a major effect off the bench in the national team's flawless campaign while the number ten, eventually, will inherit the pivotal position.

Is the rise of this exceptional group because of the club's environment, or is it luck?

“It's a mix of each,” comments Dowson. “I would acknowledge an ex-coach, who basically just threw them in, and we had some tough days. But the practice they had as a collective is undoubtedly one of the factors they are so tight and so talented.”

Dowson also mentions his predecessor, an earlier coach at Franklin’s Gardens, as a significant mentor. “It was my good fortune to be guided by highly engaging individuals,” he says. “Jim had a major effect on my professional journey, my management style, how I manage individuals.”

Northampton execute attractive rugby, which proved literally true in the example of their new signing. The Frenchman was involved with the Clermont XV defeated in the Champions Cup in the spring when Tommy Freeman scored a hat-trick. He was impressed enough to reverse the trend of UK players moving to France.

“A mate rang me and said: ‘We've found a Gallic number ten who’s seeking a team,’” Dowson explains. “I said: ‘We lack the funds for a French fly-half. Thomas Ramos will have to wait.’

‘He desires experience, for the possibility to test himself,’ my friend said. That caught my attention. We spoke to him and his communication was outstanding, he was eloquent, he had a funny side.

“We inquired: ‘What do you want from this?’ He responded to be trained, to be driven, to be in a new environment and outside the French league. I was thinking: ‘Welcome aboard, you’re a great person.’ And he turned out to be. We’re lucky to have him.”

Dowson comments the emerging Pollock provides a unique energy. Has he coached a player like him? “No,” Dowson answers. “Each person is original but Henry is different and unique in multiple respects. He’s not afraid to be who he is.”

Pollock’s breathtaking score against the Irish side in the past campaign showcased his unusual ability, but some of his animated during matches actions have resulted in allegations of cockiness.

“On occasion comes across as arrogant in his behavior, but he’s far from it,” Dowson clarifies. “Furthermore Pollock is not joking around the whole time. Game-wise he has ideas – he’s not a clown. I think on occasion it’s shown that he’s just this idiot. But he’s intelligent and great to have to have around.”

Hardly any directors of rugby would describe themselves as sharing a close bond with a colleague, but that is how Dowson characterizes his connection with Vesty.

“Sam and I share an curiosity around various topics,” he says. “We have a book club. He desires to explore everything, aims to learn each detail, wants to experience different things, and I feel like I’m the alike.

“We discuss many topics beyond rugby: movies, reading, concepts, creativity. When we faced Stade [Français] previously, Notre-Dame was being done up, so we had a little wander around.”

A further date in France is looming: Northampton’s comeback with the English competition will be short-lived because the continental event takes over next week. Pau, in the shadow of the mountain range, are up first on Sunday week before the Bulls travel to soon after.

“I refuse to be arrogant sufficiently to {