Saints Director of Rugby Phil Dowson: ‘I Tried Working for a Bank – It Was Tough’
Northampton is hardly the most tropical spot on the planet, but its club delivers a great deal of excitement and passion.
In a town renowned for footwear manufacturing, you could anticipate kicking to be the Saints’ modus operandi. But under the director of rugby Phil Dowson, the team in the club's hues prefer to run with the ball.
Although representing a typically British location, they showcase a flair typical of the finest Gallic exponents of attacking rugby.
Since Dowson and his colleague Sam Vesty stepped up in 2022, Northampton have secured the English top flight and progressed well in the Champions Cup – defeated by a French side in the ultimate match and eliminated by Leinster in a semi-final earlier.
They sit atop the competition ladder after four wins and a draw and travel to Ashton Gate on Saturday as the sole undefeated team, aiming for a initial success at Ashton Gate since 2021.
It would be typical to think Dowson, who participated in 262 premier matches for multiple clubs altogether, always planned to be a manager.
“During my career, I never seriously considered it,” he remarks. “But as you age, you understand how much you appreciate the game, and what the real world entails. I had a stint at Metro Bank doing work experience. You travel to work a few times, and it was challenging – you grasp what you do and don’t have.”
Discussions with club legends led to a job at Northampton. Fast-forward a decade and Dowson guides a squad ever more filled with national team players: Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall, Alex Mitchell and Alex Coles started for the national side versus the the Kiwis two weeks ago.
Henry Pollock also had a significant influence off the bench in the national team's flawless campaign while the number ten, in time, will take over the No 10 jersey.
Is the emergence of this exceptional group because of the club's environment, or is it luck?
“It's a mix of each,” says Dowson. “I would acknowledge Chris Boyd, who thrust them into action, and we had challenging moments. But the experience they had as a collective is undoubtedly one of the factors they are so united and so gifted.”
Dowson also mentions Mallinder, an earlier coach at their stadium, as a significant mentor. “I was lucky to be guided by exceptionally insightful individuals,” he notes. “He had a significant influence on my career, my coaching, how I manage individuals.”
Northampton execute appealing football, which proved literally true in the case of Anthony Belleau. The Gallic player was involved with the Clermont XV overcome in the continental tournament in last season when Freeman registered a hat-trick. The player admired the style to such an extent to reverse the trend of UK players heading across the Channel.
“An associate rang me and remarked: ‘We've found a fly-half from France who’s in search of a team,’” Dowson explains. “I said: ‘We lack the money for a French fly-half. Another target will have to wait.’
‘He desires experience, for the possibility to challenge himself,’ my mate informed me. That caught my attention. We spoke to Belleau and his language skills was outstanding, he was articulate, he had a funny side.
“We inquired: ‘What do you want from this?’ He responded to be guided, to be driven, to be in a new environment and beyond the French league. I was thinking: ‘Join us, you’re a legend of a man.’ And he proved to be. We’re lucky to have him.”
Dowson says the 20-year-old the flanker brings a particular enthusiasm. Does he know a player similar? “No,” Dowson answers. “All players are unique but Pollock is unusual and remarkable in multiple respects. He’s not afraid to be himself.”
The player's spectacular score against their opponents in the past campaign demonstrated his freakish skill, but some of his expressive during matches antics have resulted in allegations of arrogance.
“At times seems arrogant in his behavior, but he’s the opposite,” Dowson says. “Plus Pollock is not taking the piss constantly. Game-wise he has contributions – he’s not a clown. I believe sometimes it’s depicted that he’s only a character. But he’s clever and good fun to have around.”
Not many directors of rugby would describe themselves as enjoying a tight friendship with a colleague, but that is how Dowson characterizes his relationship with his co-coach.
“Together share an inquisitiveness around diverse subjects,” he notes. “We maintain a literary circle. He desires to explore all aspects, aims to learn all there is, aims to encounter varied activities, and I think I’m the alike.
“We talk about many things outside the game: movies, books, concepts, culture. When we played the Parisian club in the past season, Notre-Dame was being done up, so we had a brief exploration.”
A further date in France is coming up: The Saints' return with the Prem will be short-lived because the continental event kicks in next week. Pau, in the shadow of the mountain range, are the initial challenge on Sunday week before the Bulls visit soon after.
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