Northampton Coach Phil Dowson: ‘I Tried Working for a Bank – It Was Tough’
This English town is hardly the most exotic location in the world, but its squad offers plenty of romance and adventure.
In a city renowned for boot‑making, you might expect punting to be the Northampton's main approach. But under head coach Phil Dowson, the side in the club's hues opt to retain possession.
Despite playing for a typically British community, they showcase a flair typical of the best French practitioners of champagne rugby.
After Dowson and fellow coach Sam Vesty stepped up in 2022, Northampton have won the Premiership and gone deep in the Champions Cup – losing to a French side in the ultimate match and knocked out by Dublin-based club in a penultimate round earlier.
They lead the league standings after multiple successes and a single stalemate and head to Bristol on matchday as the just one without a loss, aiming for a initial success at Ashton Gate since 2021.
It would be expected to think Dowson, who participated in 262 elite matches for various teams altogether, consistently aimed to be a coach.
“As a professional, I never seriously considered it,” he states. “However as you get older, you comprehend how much you enjoy the rugby, and what the real world entails. I had a stint at a financial institution doing a trial period. You do the commute a few times, and it was challenging – you grasp what you do and don’t have.”
Conversations with former mentors culminated in a role at Northampton. Move forward a decade and Dowson leads a squad progressively crammed with national team players: key individuals started for the national side versus the New Zealand two weeks ago.
The young flanker also had a profound impact as a substitute in England’s flawless campaign while the number ten, in time, will inherit the fly-half role.
Is the rise of this exceptional cohort because of the Saints’ culture, or is it luck?
“It is a bit of both,” states Dowson. “My thanks go to an ex-coach, who thrust them into action, and we had challenging moments. But the practice they had as a collective is certainly one of the factors they are so united and so skilled.”
Dowson also namechecks his predecessor, a former boss at their stadium, as a major influence. “I’ve been fortunate to be mentored by really interesting personalities,” he says. “He had a significant influence on my rugby life, my management style, how I manage people.”
Saints play entertaining the game, which proved literally true in the example of Anthony Belleau. The import was part of the Clermont XV overcome in the Champions Cup in the spring when Tommy Freeman scored a triple. He admired the style sufficiently to reverse the trend of UK players joining Top 14 sides.
“An associate phoned me and remarked: ‘There’s a French 10 who’s in search of a club,’” Dowson explains. “I replied: ‘We lack the funds for a French fly-half. Another target will have to wait.’
‘He wants new challenges, for the opportunity to test himself,’ my contact told me. That caught my attention. We had a conversation with Belleau and his language skills was outstanding, he was well-spoken, he had a witty personality.
“We inquired: ‘What are you seeking from this?’ He answered to be guided, to be pushed, to be in a new environment and away from the French league. I was thinking: ‘Join us, you’re a fantastic individual.’ And he turned out to be. We’re lucky to have him.”
Dowson states the young the flanker brings a unique enthusiasm. Has he coached anyone similar? “Never,” Dowson replies. “All players are unique but Henry is different and unique in numerous aspects. He’s fearless to be himself.”
His spectacular score against the Irish side in the past campaign demonstrated his exceptional ability, but various his demonstrative on-field antics have led to claims of cockiness.
“He sometimes comes across as overconfident in his conduct, but he’s not,” Dowson says. “And Pollock is not joking around constantly. In terms of strategy he has ideas – he’s no fool. I think sometimes it’s shown that he’s just this idiot. But he’s clever and good fun to have around.”
Hardly any coaches would claim to have enjoying a tight friendship with a head coach, but that is how Dowson characterizes his partnership with Vesty.
“Sam and I have an curiosity regarding diverse subjects,” he explains. “We maintain a book club. He wants to see various elements, wants to know all there is, wants to experience different things, and I think I’m the same.
“We talk about lots of things away from the game: cinema, books, concepts, art. When we faced our French rivals previously, the cathedral was under renovation, so we had a quick look.”
One more fixture in France is looming: Northampton’s comeback with the English competition will be short-lived because the continental event intervenes soon. Pau, in the vicinity of the mountain range, are the opening fixture on matchday before the South African team travel to a week later.
“I refuse to be presumptuous sufficiently to {