🔗 Share this article

Northampton is hardly the most glamorous destination on the planet, but its squad offers an abundance of thrills and drama.

In a town renowned for footwear manufacturing, you might expect kicking to be the Northampton's modus operandi. Yet under leader Phil Dowson, the squad in green, black and gold choose to keep ball in hand.

Despite representing a distinctly UK town, they exhibit a flair synonymous with the greatest French masters of champagne rugby.

After Dowson and the head coach Sam Vesty stepped up in 2022, Northampton have secured the domestic league and gone deep in the Champions Cup – beaten by Bordeaux-Bègles in the ultimate match and eliminated by the Irish province in a last-four clash earlier.

They currently top the competition ladder after a series of victories and one tie and travel to Ashton Gate on the weekend as the sole undefeated team, aiming for a maiden victory at their opponent's ground since 2021.

It would be natural to think Dowson, who featured in 262 top-flight games for various teams altogether, had long intended to be a trainer.

“When I played, I never seriously considered it,” he states. “But as you age, you comprehend how much you appreciate the game, and what the normal employment is like. I had a stint at a financial institution doing a trial period. You make the journey a multiple instances, and it was tough – you realise what you possess and lack.”

Talks with Dusty Hare and Jim Mallinder resulted in a position at Northampton. Jump ahead a decade and Dowson manages a squad increasingly filled with internationals: prominent figures were selected for the Red Rose facing the All Blacks two weeks ago.

An emerging talent also had a significant influence off the bench in England’s successful series while the number ten, down the line, will assume the No 10 jersey.

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

“This is a combination of the two,” says Dowson. “I would acknowledge an ex-coach, who basically just threw them in, and we had some tough days. But the experience they had as a collective is definitely one of the reasons they are so united and so skilled.”

Dowson also namechecks his predecessor, a former boss at Franklin’s Gardens, as a major influence. “I was lucky to be mentored by really interesting individuals,” he adds. “Jim had a big impact on my career, my coaching, how I deal with others.”

Northampton demonstrate entertaining football, which proved literally true in the case of their new signing. The import was involved with the French club defeated in the continental tournament in April when the winger notched a hat-trick. Belleau liked what he saw enough to buck the pattern of British stars joining Top 14 sides.

“A mate rang me and remarked: ‘There’s a French 10 who’s in search of a club,’” Dowson recalls. “My response was: ‘There's no funds for a imported playmaker. Another target will have to wait.’

‘He wants new challenges, for the possibility to test himself,’ my mate told me. That caught my attention. We met with Anthony and his communication was incredible, he was well-spoken, he had a witty personality.

“We asked: ‘What do you want from this?’ He said to be coached, to be pushed, to be facing unfamiliar situations and away from the Top 14. I was thinking: ‘Welcome aboard, you’re a fantastic individual.’ And he proved to be. We’re fortunate to have him.”

Dowson says the 20-year-old the flanker brings a unique energy. Has he encountered a player comparable? “No,” Dowson responds. “Each person is individual but Pollock is distinct and special in multiple respects. He’s not afraid to be who he is.”

His spectacular try against their opponents in the past campaign demonstrated his freakish skill, but various his expressive on-field behavior have resulted in claims of cockiness.

“On occasion appears overconfident in his behavior, but he’s the opposite,” Dowson clarifies. “And Pollock is not taking the piss constantly. In terms of strategy he has contributions – he’s not a clown. I believe sometimes it’s shown that he’s merely a joker. But he’s intelligent and a positive influence to have around.”

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

“Sam and I possess an interest about different things,” he notes. “We maintain a reading group. He wants to see everything, seeks to understand everything, aims to encounter new experiences, and I believe I’m the similar.

“We talk about lots of things outside the game: movies, reading, thoughts, culture. When we met our French rivals previously, Notre-Dame was undergoing restoration, so we had a quick look.”

Another fixture in the French nation is looming: The Saints' comeback with the Prem will be brief because the European tournament kicks in next week. Their next opponents, in the foothills of the border region, are the opening fixture on matchday before the South African team arrive at soon after.

“I won't be presumptuous enough to {