Saints Coach Phil Dowson: ‘Banking Was a Difficult Experience’
This English town isn't exactly the most exotic destination globally, but its club offers an abundance of thrills and drama.
In a town renowned for footwear manufacturing, you might expect punting to be the Saints’ primary strategy. But under the director of rugby Phil Dowson, the team in green, black and gold opt to run with the ball.
Even though embodying a typically British location, they exhibit a flair associated with the best Gallic practitioners of attacking rugby.
From the time Dowson and fellow coach Sam Vesty stepped up in 2022, the Saints have secured the English top flight and advanced far in the continental tournament – beaten by a French side in last season’s final and eliminated by Leinster in a penultimate round previously.
They lead the Prem table after multiple successes and a single stalemate and visit their West Country rivals on the weekend as the sole undefeated team, chasing a initial success at Ashton Gate since 2021.
It would be typical to think Dowson, who featured in 262 premier games for multiple clubs combined, had long intended to be a coach.
“As a professional, I never seriously considered it,” he states. “Yet as you age, you realise how much you love the rugby, and what the real world looks like. I worked briefly at a financial institution doing an internship. You make the journey a multiple instances, and it was difficult – you grasp what you possess and lack.”
Talks with club legends led to a job at Northampton. Jump ahead eight years and Dowson leads a roster ever more packed with national team players: key individuals were selected for the national side facing the All Blacks two weeks ago.
Henry Pollock also had a major effect from the replacements in England’s perfect autumn while the fly-half, down the line, will take over the No 10 jersey.
Is the rise of this outstanding cohort due to the Saints’ culture, or is it chance?
“It's a combination of the two,” comments Dowson. “I’d credit Chris Boyd, who basically just threw them in, and we had difficult periods. But the experience they had as a collective is certainly one of the reasons they are so tight and so gifted.”
Dowson also cites Mallinder, another predecessor at their stadium, as a significant mentor. “I’ve been fortunate to be guided by really interesting individuals,” he adds. “Jim had a significant influence on my rugby life, my management style, how I interact with people.”
Northampton play entertaining football, which became obvious in the example of the French fly-half. The Frenchman was involved with the Clermont XV overcome in the Champions Cup in last season when the winger registered a three tries. The player liked what he saw sufficiently to reverse the trend of English talent joining Top 14 sides.
“A friend rang me and remarked: ‘There’s a French 10 who’s looking for a side,’” Dowson explains. “My response was: ‘We don’t have funds for a overseas star. Another target will have to wait.’
‘He wants new challenges, for the chance to challenge himself,’ my mate informed me. That caught my attention. We spoke to Anthony and his communication was excellent, he was eloquent, he had a sense of humour.
“We inquired: ‘What are you seeking from this?’ He responded to be coached, to be driven, to be outside his comfort zone and away from the domestic competition. I was like: ‘Join us, you’re a legend of a man.’ And he has been. We’re fortunate to have him.”
Dowson states the young Henry Pollock provides a unique vitality. Has he coached an individual like him? “No,” Dowson responds. “Each person is original but Pollock is different and unique in multiple respects. He’s unafraid to be authentic.”
Pollock’s sensational touchdown against the Irish side last season demonstrated his exceptional talent, but various his demonstrative in-game antics have brought allegations of cockiness.
“He sometimes appears arrogant in his behavior, but he’s the opposite,” Dowson asserts. “And Henry’s being serious constantly. Game-wise he has ideas – he’s not a clown. I believe on occasion it’s depicted that he’s only a character. But he’s intelligent and great to have in the squad.”
Hardly any directors of rugby would describe themselves as sharing a close bond with a assistant, but that is how Dowson frames his partnership with his co-coach.
“Together share an inquisitiveness about various topics,” he says. “We run a book club. He desires to explore all aspects, aims to learn each detail, aims to encounter varied activities, and I think I’m the same.
“We converse on lots of topics away from the sport: films, literature, ideas, creativity. When we played Stade [Français] in the past season, Notre-Dame was being done up, so we had a brief exploration.”
One more fixture in France is looming: Northampton’s reacquaintance with the English competition will be short-lived because the European tournament intervenes next week. Pau, in the shadow of the border region, are the opening fixture on matchday before the Pretoria-based club visit soon after.
“I’m not going to be overconfident sufficiently to {
