Northampton Director of Rugby Phil Dowson: ‘Banking Was a Difficult Experience’
Northampton is hardly the most tropical destination in the world, but its club offers plenty of thrills and drama.
In a place renowned for footwear manufacturing, you might expect boot work to be the Northampton's primary strategy. However under the director of rugby Phil Dowson, the side in the club's hues prefer to run with the ball.
Although representing a typically British community, they showcase a panache associated with the finest Gallic exponents of expansive play.
After Dowson and the head coach Sam Vesty assumed control in 2022, the Saints have won the domestic league and gone deep in the European competition – beaten by Bordeaux-Bègles in the ultimate match and ousted by Leinster in a last-four clash previously.
They lead the Prem table after four wins and a draw and travel to their West Country rivals on the weekend as the only unbeaten side, chasing a first win at Ashton Gate since 2021.
It would be expected to think Dowson, who featured in 262 premier games for various teams in total, consistently aimed to be a manager.
“As a professional, I didn't really think about it,” he remarks. “However as you mature, you understand how much you love the sport, and what the everyday life entails. I worked briefly at Metro Bank doing a trial period. You travel to work a few times, and it was difficult – you see what you have going for you.”
Talks with former mentors led to a job at Northampton. Move forward a decade and Dowson guides a roster ever more packed with national team players: Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall, Alex Mitchell and Alex Coles lined up for the Red Rose against the the Kiwis two weeks ago.
Henry Pollock also had a major effect off the bench in England’s flawless campaign while Fin Smith, eventually, will assume the No 10 jersey.
Is the rise of this exceptional group attributable to the team's ethos, or is it fortune?
“It is a combination of the two,” comments Dowson. “I’d credit an ex-coach, who thrust them into action, and we had some tough days. But the practice they had as a group is undoubtedly one of the causes they are so tight and so skilled.”
Dowson also cites Mallinder, a former boss at Franklin’s Gardens, as a significant mentor. “I’ve been fortunate to be guided by exceptionally insightful people,” he says. “He had a significant influence on my professional journey, my training methods, how I deal with others.”
The team play appealing rugby, which proved literally true in the example of their new signing. The Gallic player was a member of the French club defeated in the Champions Cup in the spring when the winger notched a hat-trick. The player was impressed to such an extent to buck the pattern of UK players moving to France.
“A mate called me and stated: ‘We've found a French 10 who’s looking for a club,’” Dowson says. “My response was: ‘There's no money for a imported playmaker. Thomas Ramos will have to wait.’
‘He desires experience, for the opportunity to challenge himself,’ my friend told me. That caught my attention. We met with Belleau and his language skills was incredible, he was well-spoken, he had a funny side.
“We questioned: ‘What do you want from this?’ He said to be coached, to be driven, to be facing unfamiliar situations and beyond the French league. I was saying: ‘Welcome aboard, you’re a great person.’ And he has been. We’re fortunate to have him.”
Dowson comments the 20-year-old Henry Pollock offers a unique vitality. Has he encountered an individual like him? “Never,” Dowson answers. “Everyone’s original but Henry is unusual and remarkable in many ways. He’s unafraid to be himself.”
Pollock’s breathtaking try against the Irish side in the past campaign illustrated his exceptional ability, but a few of his demonstrative in-game antics have resulted in accusations of cockiness.
“He sometimes appears overconfident in his behavior, but he’s far from it,” Dowson asserts. “Furthermore Pollock is not taking the piss all the time. Tactically he has ideas – he’s a smart player. I feel on occasion it’s portrayed that he’s only a character. But he’s clever and great to have within the team.”
Not many directors of rugby would describe themselves as enjoying a tight friendship with a colleague, but that is how Dowson characterizes his partnership with his co-coach.
“We both share an curiosity around diverse subjects,” he explains. “We have a reading group. He wants to see everything, wants to know everything, aims to encounter varied activities, and I believe I’m the similar.
“We talk about lots of things away from rugby: cinema, literature, thoughts, art. When we met Stade [Français] last year, the landmark was being done up, so we had a quick look.”
A further match in the French nation is approaching: Northampton’s return with the Prem will be short-lived because the continental event kicks in soon. Their next opponents, in the vicinity of the Pyrenees, are the initial challenge on the coming weekend before the Pretoria-based club visit the following weekend.
“I refuse to be overconfident to the extent to {