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Northampton may not be the most glamorous location on the planet, but its squad offers plenty of thrills and drama.

In a place renowned for footwear manufacturing, you might expect boot work to be the Saints’ main approach. However under head coach Phil Dowson, the team in green, black and gold opt to run with the ball.

Despite playing for a typically British location, they display a style synonymous with the best French masters of expansive play.

Since Dowson and fellow coach Sam Vesty assumed control in 2022, the Saints have won the Premiership and advanced far in the Champions Cup – beaten by their Gallic opponents in last season’s final and eliminated by Dublin-based club in a last-four clash earlier.

They currently top the competition ladder after four wins and a draw and travel to Bristol on matchday as the sole undefeated team, aiming for a initial success at their opponent's ground since 2021.

It would be typical to think Dowson, who featured in 262 premier games for various teams in total, always planned to be a trainer.

“As a professional, I didn't really think about it,” he says. “But as you mature, you comprehend how much you love the rugby, and what the normal employment looks like. I worked briefly at a financial institution doing an internship. You do the commute a several occasions, and it was difficult – you see what you do and don’t have.”

Discussions with Dusty Hare and Jim Mallinder led to a job at Northampton. Move forward eight years and Dowson manages a squad increasingly crammed with internationals: key individuals lined up for the Red Rose facing the New Zealand two weeks ago.

Henry Pollock also had a major effect off the bench in England’s perfect autumn while the fly-half, in time, will inherit the pivotal position.

Is the development of this outstanding group due to the Saints’ culture, or is it chance?

“This is a bit of both,” says Dowson. “My thanks go to an ex-coach, who gave them opportunities, and we had some tough days. But the experience they had as a collective is certainly one of the factors they are so close-knit and so skilled.”

Dowson also cites Mallinder, another predecessor at the club's home, as a major influence. “I was lucky to be guided by highly engaging individuals,” he says. “Jim had a big impact on my rugby life, my management style, how I manage others.”

Saints demonstrate entertaining rugby, which proved literally true in the instance of Anthony Belleau. The import was part of the Clermont XV overcome in the European competition in the spring when the winger scored a hat-trick. He admired the style enough to buck the pattern of UK players joining Top 14 sides.

“A friend phoned me and stated: ‘We know of a fly-half from France who’s in search of a club,’” Dowson explains. “I replied: ‘We don’t have budget for a French fly-half. A different option will have to wait.’

‘He wants new challenges, for the opportunity to challenge himself,’ my mate told me. That interested me. We met with him and his English was incredible, he was eloquent, he had a sense of humour.

“We asked: ‘What do you want from this?’ He said to be guided, to be pushed, to be in a new environment and beyond the domestic competition. I was thinking: ‘Join us, you’re a great person.’ And he has been. We’re blessed to have him.”

Dowson comments the young the flanker provides a specific vitality. Has he encountered a player similar? “No,” Dowson responds. “Each person is unique but Pollock is distinct and special in many ways. He’s not afraid to be who he is.”

The player's breathtaking try against their opponents last season showcased his exceptional ability, but various his expressive during matches antics have led to accusations of arrogance.

“At times seems arrogant in his conduct, but he’s far from it,” Dowson clarifies. “And Henry’s not joking around all the time. Game-wise he has contributions – he’s no fool. I feel on occasion it’s depicted that he’s merely a joker. But he’s clever and good fun to have around.”

Few managers would claim to have sharing a close bond with a assistant, but that is how Dowson characterizes his connection with his co-coach.

“Sam and I share an inquisitiveness regarding various topics,” he explains. “We have a reading group. He wants to see various elements, aims to learn each detail, wants to experience new experiences, and I believe I’m the similar.

“We discuss lots of things outside rugby: films, literature, concepts, culture. When we faced our French rivals previously, Notre-Dame was under renovation, so we had a little wander around.”

One more fixture in Gall is looming: The Saints' reacquaintance with the Prem will be short-lived because the continental event kicks in next week. Their next opponents, in the vicinity of the mountain range, are the opening fixture on matchday before the Bulls visit a week later.

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