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Northampton isn't exactly the most exotic spot in the world, but its club provides an abundance of thrills and drama.

In a town renowned for shoe production, you might expect kicking to be the Northampton's main approach. Yet under the director of rugby Phil Dowson, the squad in the club's hues prefer to retain possession.

Despite embodying a distinctly UK location, they showcase a flair typical of the finest Gallic masters of expansive play.

After Dowson and the head coach Sam Vesty assumed control in 2022, the Saints have claimed victory in the domestic league and advanced far in the European competition – losing to a French side in the previous campaign's decider and eliminated by Leinster in a penultimate round earlier.

They sit atop the competition ladder after multiple successes and a single stalemate and travel to their West Country rivals on the weekend as the just one without a loss, aiming for a first win at their opponent's ground since 2021.

It would be expected to think Dowson, who featured in 262 elite games for various teams combined, always planned to be a trainer.

“During my career, I didn't really think about it,” he says. “Yet as you mature, you understand how much you appreciate the rugby, and what the normal employment is like. I worked briefly at a financial institution doing an internship. You do the commute a few times, and it was difficult – you realise what you have going for you.”

Discussions with Dusty Hare and Jim Mallinder culminated in a role at Northampton. Fast-forward several seasons and Dowson guides a team ever more crammed with national team players: Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall, Alex Mitchell and Alex Coles started for the national side against the New Zealand two weeks ago.

The young flanker also had a profound impact from the replacements in the national team's successful series while Fin Smith, down the line, will assume the pivotal position.

Is the rise of this exceptional group due to the Saints’ culture, or is it luck?

“This is a combination of the two,” comments Dowson. “My thanks go to an ex-coach, who basically just threw them in, and we had some tough days. But the exposure they had as a collective is certainly one of the factors they are so close-knit and so skilled.”

Dowson also cites Mallinder, another predecessor at the club's home, as a major influence. “It was my good fortune to be coached by really interesting people,” he adds. “Mallinder had a significant influence on my professional journey, my management style, how I interact with others.”

The team play entertaining football, which proved literally true in the example of the French fly-half. The import was part of the French club defeated in the Champions Cup in the spring when Freeman registered a triple. The player liked what he saw sufficiently to buck the pattern of British stars joining Top 14 sides.

“A friend rang me and said: ‘We know of a French 10 who’s in search of a side,’” Dowson explains. “I replied: ‘We lack the money for a imported playmaker. Thomas Ramos will have to wait.’

‘He wants a fresh start, for the opportunity to challenge himself,’ my mate told me. That interested me. We spoke to Belleau and his English was outstanding, he was articulate, he had a witty personality.

“We asked: ‘What are your goals from this?’ He answered to be trained, to be driven, to be in a new environment and outside the domestic competition. I was like: ‘Welcome aboard, you’re a legend of a man.’ And he has been. We’re blessed to have him.”

Dowson states the young the flanker brings a unique enthusiasm. Has he coached a player comparable? “No,” Dowson replies. “Each person is individual but he is unusual and remarkable in many ways. He’s fearless to be himself.”

His sensational score against Leinster last season illustrated his freakish ability, but various his animated in-game actions have resulted in claims of overconfidence.

“On occasion comes across as cocky in his behavior, but he’s the opposite,” Dowson says. “Furthermore Pollock is being serious the whole time. In terms of strategy he has contributions – he’s no fool. I believe sometimes it’s shown that he’s only a character. But he’s clever and great to have within the team.”

Hardly any managers would admit to sharing a close bond with a colleague, but that is how Dowson characterizes his partnership with Sam Vesty.

“Sam and I have an interest regarding different things,” he explains. “We run a reading group. He aims to discover all aspects, wants to know all there is, desires to try varied activities, and I feel like I’m the alike.

“We talk about lots of topics beyond rugby: cinema, books, concepts, creativity. When we played the Parisian club last year, the landmark was being done up, so we had a brief exploration.”

One more date in the French nation is coming up: The Saints' return with the domestic league will be brief because the European tournament intervenes shortly. The French side, in the foothills of the border region, are the initial challenge on Sunday week before the Pretoria-based club visit soon after.

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