Saints Director of Rugby Phil Dowson: ‘Banking Was a Difficult Experience’
This English town may not be the most tropical destination globally, but its rugby union team provides a great deal of excitement and passion.
In a town known for shoe production, you might expect punting to be the Saints’ main approach. But under head coach Phil Dowson, the side in the club's hues prefer to run with the ball.
Despite representing a distinctly UK community, they display a panache associated with the greatest French masters of expansive play.
From the time Dowson and the head coach Sam Vesty took over in 2022, the Saints have won the Premiership and progressed well in the continental tournament – losing to their Gallic opponents in the ultimate match and eliminated by Leinster in a semi-final earlier.
They currently top the league standings after a series of victories and one tie and visit their West Country rivals on the weekend as the just one without a loss, aiming for a initial success at Ashton Gate since 2021.
It would be typical to think Dowson, who featured in 262 elite games for Newcastle, Northampton and Worcester in total, consistently aimed to be a coach.
“As a professional, I hadn't given it much thought,” he remarks. “However as you mature, you comprehend how much you enjoy the sport, and what the normal employment looks like. I had a stint at a banking firm doing an internship. You travel to work a multiple instances, and it was difficult – you grasp what you have going for you.”
Talks with club legends resulted in a job at the Saints. Fast-forward several seasons and Dowson leads a team ever more crammed with national team players: key individuals were selected for England facing the New Zealand two weeks ago.
Henry Pollock also had a major effect off the bench in England’s successful series while the fly-half, eventually, will inherit the fly-half role.
Is the emergence of this remarkable generation attributable to the club's environment, or is it fortune?
“This is a mix of each,” comments Dowson. “My thanks go to the former director of rugby, who gave them opportunities, and we had some tough days. But the experience they had as a unit is certainly one of the reasons they are so tight and so gifted.”
Dowson also mentions his predecessor, an earlier coach at Franklin’s Gardens, as a key figure. “I’ve been fortunate to be guided by highly engaging personalities,” he notes. “Mallinder had a big impact on my rugby life, my management style, how I interact with others.”
Saints execute entertaining rugby, which became obvious in the case of their new signing. The Frenchman was involved with the Clermont XV defeated in the European competition in last season when the winger notched a triple. Belleau liked what he saw enough to reverse the trend of English talent heading across the Channel.
“An associate called me and said: ‘We know of a Gallic number ten who’s in search of a team,’” Dowson recalls. “My response was: ‘We lack the budget for a overseas star. Another target will have to wait.’
‘He wants experience, for the possibility to challenge himself,’ my contact informed me. That caught my attention. We had a conversation with him and his English was outstanding, he was articulate, he had a sense of humour.
“We inquired: ‘What do you want from this?’ He responded to be coached, to be pushed, to be in a new environment and beyond the French league. I was like: ‘Come on in, you’re a fantastic individual.’ And he proved to be. We’re lucky to have him.”
Dowson comments the 20-year-old Pollock provides a particular enthusiasm. Has he encountered an individual similar? “No,” Dowson responds. “Each person is unique but Henry is different and unique in many ways. He’s unafraid to be who he is.”
His sensational touchdown against the Irish side in the past campaign demonstrated his exceptional ability, but various his expressive on-field behavior have led to allegations of cockiness.
“He sometimes comes across as arrogant in his actions, but he’s the opposite,” Dowson clarifies. “Plus he's being serious the whole time. In terms of strategy he has ideas – he’s a smart player. I feel on occasion it’s depicted that he’s just this idiot. But he’s intelligent and good fun within the team.”
Not many managers would describe themselves as enjoying a tight friendship with a assistant, but that is how Dowson characterizes his relationship with Vesty.
“We both share an interest around various topics,” he explains. “We have a reading group. He aims to discover everything, wants to know each detail, desires to try new experiences, and I think I’m the same.
“We discuss many things away from the game: movies, books, thoughts, creativity. When we met Stade [Français] last year, the cathedral was undergoing restoration, so we had a little wander around.”
A further match in the French nation is approaching: Northampton’s return with the domestic league will be temporary because the continental event kicks in soon. The French side, in the vicinity of the mountain range, are up first on the coming weekend before the Pretoria-based club travel to soon after.
“I refuse to be overconfident sufficiently to {
