Saints Director of Rugby Phil Dowson: ‘Banking Was a Difficult Experience’
Northampton is hardly the most glamorous location globally, but its rugby union team offers plenty of romance and adventure.
In a city famous for footwear manufacturing, you would think boot work to be the Northampton's primary strategy. However under leader Phil Dowson, the team in green, black and gold opt to run with the ball.
Although representing a quintessentially English location, they showcase a flair synonymous with the greatest Gallic practitioners of champagne rugby.
Since Dowson and his colleague Sam Vesty took over in 2022, Northampton have secured the Premiership and gone deep in the Champions Cup – defeated by their Gallic opponents in the ultimate match and eliminated by the Irish province in a last-four clash earlier.
They lead the Prem table after four wins and a draw and head to Bristol on the weekend as the only unbeaten side, seeking a maiden victory at Ashton Gate since 2021.
It would be natural to think Dowson, who played 262 top-flight matches for Newcastle, Northampton and Worcester combined, always planned to be a coach.
“As a professional, I didn't really think about it,” he remarks. “Yet as you age, you realise how much you love the sport, and what the normal employment is like. I worked briefly at a financial institution doing a trial period. You travel to work a multiple instances, and it was challenging – you grasp what you do and don’t have.”
Conversations with former mentors culminated in a position at the Saints. Fast-forward a decade and Dowson leads a roster ever more packed with national team players: key individuals were selected for the national side versus the the Kiwis two weeks ago.
The young flanker also had a profound impact off the bench in England’s successful series while the fly-half, eventually, will assume the No 10 jersey.
Is the rise of this exceptional cohort because of the club's environment, or is it fortune?
“It is a mix of each,” comments Dowson. “I would acknowledge Chris Boyd, who thrust them into action, and we had some tough days. But the experience they had as a collective is definitely one of the causes they are so tight and so talented.”
Dowson also cites Jim Mallinder, a former boss at the club's home, as a key figure. “I’ve been fortunate to be coached by highly engaging people,” he adds. “He had a big impact on my career, my coaching, how I manage individuals.”
Northampton play appealing football, which proved literally true in the instance of their new signing. The Gallic player was involved with the French club overcome in the European competition in April when the winger notched a three tries. The player admired the style sufficiently to buck the pattern of British stars heading across the Channel.
“A mate rang me and said: ‘There’s a French 10 who’s in search of a side,’” Dowson explains. “My response was: ‘We lack the money for a overseas star. Another target will have to wait.’
‘He’s looking for a fresh start, for the chance to challenge himself,’ my mate informed me. That caught my attention. We had a conversation with him and his language skills was incredible, he was eloquent, he had a sense of humour.
“We inquired: ‘What do you want from this?’ He answered to be trained, to be pushed, to be facing unfamiliar situations and away from the domestic competition. I was like: ‘Come on in, you’re a great person.’ And he proved to be. We’re lucky to have him.”
Dowson comments the young Henry Pollock brings a specific vitality. Has he coached a player similar? “No,” Dowson answers. “Everyone’s original but he is distinct and special in multiple respects. He’s unafraid to be who he is.”
His sensational touchdown against Leinster last season demonstrated his unusual ability, but some of his expressive in-game actions have resulted in claims of cockiness.
“At times seems cocky in his behavior, but he’s the opposite,” Dowson asserts. “Furthermore he's not taking the piss all the time. Tactically he has input – he’s not a clown. I believe on occasion it’s portrayed that he’s merely a joker. But he’s bright and a positive influence in the squad.”
Not many managers would describe themselves as sharing a close bond with a head coach, but that is how Dowson frames his relationship with his co-coach.
“We both possess an interest regarding various topics,” he notes. “We maintain a reading group. He aims to discover various elements, wants to know all there is, wants to experience new experiences, and I believe I’m the similar.
“We talk about many topics outside rugby: films, books, concepts, creativity. When we met our French rivals in the past season, the cathedral was undergoing restoration, so we had a little wander around.”
One more match in France is coming up: Northampton’s reacquaintance with the domestic league will be temporary because the Champions Cup takes over shortly. Pau, in the shadow of the mountain range, are the initial challenge on the coming weekend before the Pretoria-based club arrive at soon after.
“I’m not going to be presumptuous enough to {
