Saints Director of Rugby Phil Dowson: ‘Banking Was a Difficult Experience’
Northampton is hardly the most exotic spot on the planet, but its rugby union team offers plenty of excitement and passion.
In a place famous for shoe production, you might expect boot work to be the Saints’ primary strategy. However under head coach Phil Dowson, the squad in the club's hues prefer to run with the ball.
Although embodying a quintessentially English town, they display a flair associated with the best Gallic practitioners of attacking rugby.
After Dowson and his colleague Sam Vesty stepped up in 2022, Northampton have won the English top flight and progressed well in the continental tournament – losing to their Gallic opponents in the previous campaign's decider and ousted by the Irish province in a penultimate round before that.
They currently top the league standings after four wins and a draw and visit their West Country rivals on Saturday as the just one without a loss, chasing a maiden victory at Ashton Gate since 2021.
It would be typical to think Dowson, who featured in 262 top-flight matches for multiple clubs combined, consistently aimed to be a trainer.
“As a professional, I never seriously considered it,” he remarks. “But as you get older, you understand how much you love the game, and what the normal employment looks like. I spent some time at Metro Bank doing work experience. You do the commute a multiple instances, and it was challenging – you see what you possess and lack.”
Conversations with club legends resulted in a role at Northampton. Fast-forward eight years and Dowson manages a team progressively filled with national team players: Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall, Alex Mitchell and Alex Coles lined up for England facing the All Blacks two weeks ago.
Henry Pollock also had a major effect off the bench in the national team's flawless campaign while the fly-half, down the line, will inherit the No 10 jersey.
Is the rise of this exceptional generation because of the club's environment, or is it luck?
“This is a mix of each,” states Dowson. “I’d credit Chris Boyd, who gave them opportunities, and we had some tough days. But the practice they had as a collective is definitely one of the reasons they are so tight and so talented.”
Dowson also cites Mallinder, a former boss at the club's home, as a significant mentor. “It was my good fortune to be mentored by really interesting personalities,” he notes. “Mallinder had a significant influence on my professional journey, my coaching, how I manage others.”
Northampton demonstrate appealing football, which was clearly evident in the example of their new signing. The import was part of the Clermont XV beaten in the European competition in last season when Freeman registered a hat-trick. The player admired the style enough to reverse the trend of British stars joining Top 14 sides.
“A mate phoned me and said: ‘We know of a Gallic number ten who’s in search of a club,’” Dowson explains. “I replied: ‘There's no money for a overseas star. Another target will have to wait.’
‘He desires a fresh start, for the possibility to test himself,’ my mate informed me. That caught my attention. We spoke to Belleau and his language skills was excellent, he was eloquent, he had a funny side.
“We asked: ‘What do you want from this?’ He responded to be trained, to be pushed, to be facing unfamiliar situations and beyond the French league. I was like: ‘Join us, you’re a great person.’ And he has been. We’re lucky to have him.”
Dowson comments the 20-year-old the flanker offers a unique vitality. Has he coached anyone similar? “No,” Dowson answers. “Everyone’s original but Henry is different and unique in multiple respects. He’s unafraid to be himself.”
Pollock’s sensational try against Leinster previously illustrated his unusual skill, but a few of his animated during matches actions have led to accusations of overconfidence.
“He sometimes appears cocky in his behavior, but he’s far from it,” Dowson says. “Furthermore he's not joking around the whole time. In terms of strategy he has contributions – he’s a smart player. I think sometimes it’s shown that he’s only a character. But he’s intelligent and great to have within the team.”
Not many managers would admit to sharing a close bond with a colleague, but that is how Dowson frames his relationship with Sam Vesty.
“We both share an interest about diverse subjects,” he says. “We have a reading group. He desires to explore everything, aims to learn all there is, desires to try different things, and I believe I’m the alike.
“We converse on numerous topics beyond the sport: films, books, thoughts, art. When we met our French rivals previously, the cathedral was being done up, so we had a quick look.”
Another match in Gall is coming up: Northampton’s comeback with the domestic league will be brief because the Champions Cup takes over soon. The French side, in the vicinity of the mountain range, are up first on matchday before the Pretoria-based club visit a week later.
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