Saints Coach Phil Dowson: ‘Banking Was a Difficult Experience’
Northampton is hardly the most tropical destination globally, but its squad offers an abundance of thrills and drama.
In a place renowned for shoe production, you could anticipate boot work to be the Saints’ primary strategy. However under the director of rugby Phil Dowson, the squad in green, black and gold choose to retain possession.
Although representing a quintessentially English town, they showcase a style synonymous with the finest French practitioners of expansive play.
Since Dowson and fellow coach Sam Vesty took over in 2022, Northampton have secured the domestic league and gone deep in the Champions Cup – defeated by Bordeaux-Bègles in the previous campaign's decider and knocked out by the Irish province in a last-four clash earlier.
They currently top the competition ladder after multiple successes and a single stalemate and visit their West Country rivals on the weekend as the sole undefeated team, seeking a first win at Ashton Gate since 2021.
It would be natural to think Dowson, who played 262 elite matches for various teams altogether, always planned to be a coach.
“During my career, I hadn't given it much thought,” he says. “But as you get older, you comprehend how much you enjoy the rugby, and what the real world entails. I spent some time at a banking firm doing an internship. You do the commute a several occasions, and it was difficult – you grasp what you do and don’t have.”
Discussions with Dusty Hare and Jim Mallinder led to a role at the Saints. Fast-forward a decade and Dowson manages a roster progressively packed with internationals: key individuals started for the national side versus the New Zealand two weeks ago.
An emerging talent also had a profound impact from the replacements in the national team's flawless campaign while the number ten, down the line, will inherit the pivotal position.
Is the rise of this remarkable cohort due to the Saints’ culture, or is it fortune?
“It's a bit of both,” says Dowson. “I’d credit Chris Boyd, who gave them opportunities, and we had challenging moments. But the practice they had as a group is undoubtedly one of the factors they are so united and so talented.”
Dowson also namechecks Jim Mallinder, an earlier coach at their stadium, as a major influence. “I’ve been fortunate to be coached by highly engaging personalities,” he says. “He had a significant influence on my professional journey, my training methods, how I deal with individuals.”
Saints demonstrate appealing football, which became obvious in the instance of their new signing. The import was a member of the Clermont XV overcome in the European competition in April when the winger notched a triple. Belleau liked what he saw enough to go against the flow of UK players joining Top 14 sides.
“A friend called me and remarked: ‘We know of a fly-half from France who’s in search of a club,’” Dowson says. “I replied: ‘There's no budget for a French fly-half. Thomas Ramos will have to wait.’
‘He’s looking for experience, for the possibility to challenge himself,’ my contact told me. That interested me. We had a conversation with him and his English was incredible, he was articulate, he had a funny side.
“We asked: ‘What do you want from this?’ He responded to be coached, to be pushed, to be outside his comfort zone and beyond the domestic competition. I was thinking: ‘Join us, you’re a legend of a man.’ And he proved to be. We’re blessed to have him.”
Dowson states the young the flanker provides a specific enthusiasm. Has he encountered a player like him? “Not really,” Dowson answers. “Each person is unique but he is distinct and special in many ways. He’s not afraid to be himself.”
Pollock’s sensational score against their opponents last season demonstrated his exceptional ability, but various his demonstrative during matches actions have resulted in accusations of cockiness.
“On occasion appears cocky in his conduct, but he’s not,” Dowson asserts. “Plus he's not taking the piss constantly. Game-wise he has input – he’s a smart player. I feel on occasion it’s portrayed that he’s merely a joker. But he’s bright and good fun to have around.”
Hardly any managers would describe themselves as having a bromance with a colleague, but that is how Dowson frames his connection with Vesty.
“Sam and I share an interest around diverse subjects,” he notes. “We run a reading group. He aims to discover various elements, aims to learn each detail, wants to experience different things, and I think I’m the same.
“We discuss many topics beyond the sport: cinema, reading, thoughts, creativity. When we played the Parisian club last year, the cathedral was being done up, so we had a brief exploration.”
Another fixture in France is approaching: The Saints' comeback with the Prem will be temporary because the European tournament kicks in soon. Their next opponents, in the vicinity of the mountain range, are the opening fixture on Sunday week before the Pretoria-based club visit the following weekend.
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