Northampton Coach Phil Dowson: ‘Banking Was a Difficult Experience’
This English town is hardly the most tropical spot in the world, but its club provides plenty of excitement and passion.
In a place famous for boot‑making, you might expect boot work to be the Saints’ primary strategy. Yet under the director of rugby Phil Dowson, the team in the club's hues choose to retain possession.
Even though playing for a typically British town, they display a flair synonymous with the best French masters of attacking rugby.
After Dowson and his colleague Sam Vesty assumed control in 2022, Northampton have won the Premiership and advanced far in the Champions Cup – beaten by a French side in the previous campaign's decider and knocked out by Leinster in a penultimate round before that.
They sit atop the competition ladder after multiple successes and a single stalemate and travel to Ashton Gate on Saturday as the just one without a loss, chasing a maiden victory at their opponent's ground since 2021.
It would be typical to think Dowson, who featured in 262 premier games for various teams altogether, always planned to be a coach.
“During my career, I hadn't given it much thought,” he says. “However as you get older, you understand how much you appreciate the game, and what the normal employment entails. I had a stint at Metro Bank doing work experience. You do the commute a few times, and it was challenging – you realise what you have going for you.”
Discussions with club legends resulted in a position at the Saints. Jump ahead several seasons and Dowson leads a squad ever more filled with national team players: prominent figures started for the national side facing the New Zealand two weeks ago.
The young flanker also had a profound impact off the bench in the national team's successful series while the fly-half, eventually, will assume the pivotal position.
Is the rise of this exceptional cohort attributable to the club's environment, or is it luck?
“It's a mix of each,” says Dowson. “My thanks go to Chris Boyd, who gave them opportunities, and we had some tough days. But the exposure they had as a collective is undoubtedly one of the factors they are so tight and so gifted.”
Dowson also namechecks his predecessor, another predecessor at the club's home, as a significant mentor. “I’ve been fortunate to be mentored by really interesting people,” he notes. “Jim had a significant influence on my professional journey, my training methods, how I interact with others.”
Saints execute appealing football, which became obvious in the case of their new signing. The Frenchman was a member of the opposing team beaten in the European competition in the spring when the winger notched a hat-trick. He admired the style sufficiently to go against the flow of UK players moving to France.
“A friend phoned me and remarked: ‘We've found a Gallic number ten who’s in search of a club,’” Dowson explains. “I said: ‘There's no funds for a imported playmaker. A different option will have to wait.’
‘He’s looking for new challenges, for the opportunity to challenge himself,’ my contact informed me. That interested me. We had a conversation with him and his English was incredible, he was eloquent, he had a funny side.
“We asked: ‘What do you want from this?’ He answered to be guided, to be driven, to be facing unfamiliar situations and outside the French league. I was thinking: ‘Welcome aboard, you’re a legend of a man.’ And he proved to be. We’re lucky to have him.”
Dowson comments the 20-year-old the flanker brings a particular vitality. Does he know anyone similar? “Never,” Dowson answers. “Everyone’s unique but Pollock is unusual and remarkable in many ways. He’s not afraid to be who he is.”
The player's sensational touchdown against the Irish side previously showcased his exceptional talent, but various his expressive in-game antics have led to allegations of overconfidence.
“He sometimes seems arrogant in his behavior, but he’s not,” Dowson clarifies. “And Henry’s being serious the whole time. Game-wise he has ideas – he’s no fool. I feel at times it’s portrayed that he’s only a character. But he’s bright and great to have to have around.”
Few directors of rugby would describe themselves as having a bromance with a head coach, but that is how Dowson describes his connection with Sam Vesty.
“Sam and I have an interest regarding various topics,” he says. “We have a literary circle. He desires to explore all aspects, seeks to understand everything, aims to encounter new experiences, and I believe I’m the alike.
“We talk about many topics outside the sport: films, reading, concepts, art. When we played Stade [Français] last year, the landmark was under renovation, so we had a little wander around.”
Another fixture in France is approaching: The Saints' return with the Prem will be brief because the continental event takes over shortly. Their next opponents, in the vicinity of the Pyrenees, are the initial challenge on Sunday week before the Bulls travel to the following weekend.
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