Saints Coach Phil Dowson: ‘My Bank Job Was a Real Challenge’
Northampton is hardly the most glamorous spot globally, but its club delivers a great deal of excitement and passion.
In a place famous for boot‑making, you could anticipate punting to be the Northampton's modus operandi. However under leader Phil Dowson, the side in green, black and gold opt to keep ball in hand.
Although playing for a typically British town, they display a flair synonymous with the best French exponents of expansive play.
From the time Dowson and the head coach Sam Vesty assumed control in 2022, the Saints have won the English top flight and gone deep in the continental tournament – beaten by their Gallic opponents in the previous campaign's decider and knocked out by Dublin-based club in a penultimate round earlier.
They sit atop the Prem table after four wins and a draw and visit Ashton Gate on the weekend as the only unbeaten side, chasing a first win at Bristol's home since 2021.
It would be natural to think Dowson, who featured in 262 premier matches for Newcastle, Northampton and Worcester combined, had long intended to be a trainer.
“When I played, I hadn't given it much thought,” he remarks. “However as you age, you realise how much you love the rugby, and what the real world is like. I had a stint at a banking firm doing a trial period. You do the commute a several occasions, and it was tough – you grasp what you do and don’t have.”
Conversations with Dusty Hare and Jim Mallinder resulted in a position at Northampton. Move forward a decade and Dowson guides a roster ever more crammed with internationals: key individuals were selected for England facing the New Zealand two weeks ago.
An emerging talent also had a major effect off the bench in England’s successful series while the number ten, in time, will take over the fly-half role.
Is the development of this exceptional generation due to the club's environment, or is it chance?
“It is a mix of each,” comments Dowson. “My thanks go to Chris Boyd, who basically just threw them in, and we had difficult periods. But the practice they had as a collective is certainly one of the factors they are so tight and so talented.”
Dowson also mentions Mallinder, another predecessor at their stadium, as a key figure. “I’ve been fortunate to be coached by exceptionally insightful individuals,” he adds. “Mallinder had a big impact on my professional journey, my management style, how I deal with others.”
Saints play entertaining football, which became obvious in the case of the French fly-half. The import was a member of the Clermont XV defeated in the continental tournament in April when the winger registered a triple. Belleau liked what he saw enough to buck the pattern of British stars joining Top 14 sides.
“An associate called me and stated: ‘We've found a Gallic number ten who’s seeking a team,’” Dowson says. “I replied: ‘There's no budget for a French fly-half. Another target will have to wait.’
‘He’s looking for experience, for the possibility to prove his worth,’ my contact informed me. That interested me. We had a conversation with Belleau and his English was outstanding, he was articulate, he had a witty personality.
“We questioned: ‘What are you seeking from this?’ He responded to be trained, to be pushed, to be outside his comfort zone and outside the Top 14. I was like: ‘Come on in, you’re a legend of a man.’ And he turned out to be. We’re lucky to have him.”
Dowson states the emerging Pollock provides a specific energy. Has he coached anyone comparable? “No,” Dowson answers. “Everyone’s unique but he is different and unique in numerous aspects. He’s fearless to be who he is.”
His spectacular try against Leinster last season illustrated his unusual talent, but some of his demonstrative during matches antics have brought accusations of overconfidence.
“He sometimes comes across as overconfident in his behavior, but he’s far from it,” Dowson asserts. “And he's not taking the piss constantly. Tactically he has ideas – he’s not a clown. I believe on occasion it’s depicted that he’s just this idiot. But he’s intelligent and good fun in the squad.”
Not many coaches would admit to having a bromance with a assistant, but that is how Dowson frames his relationship with his co-coach.
“We both have an inquisitiveness about diverse subjects,” he notes. “We maintain a reading group. He desires to explore everything, wants to know all there is, wants to experience different things, and I believe I’m the same.
“We discuss many things beyond the game: cinema, books, ideas, art. When we faced Stade [Français] previously, the cathedral was under renovation, so we had a little wander around.”
One more fixture in Gall is looming: The Saints' return with the Prem will be brief because the European tournament takes over soon. Pau, in the shadow of the border region, are the opening fixture on the coming weekend before the South African team visit the following weekend.
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