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Northampton isn't exactly the most tropical location in the world, but its club offers plenty of excitement and passion.

In a town famous for shoe production, you might expect boot work to be the Northampton's modus operandi. However under head coach Phil Dowson, the team in green, black and gold choose to retain possession.

Despite representing a quintessentially English location, they display a flair associated with the best Gallic masters of expansive play.

Since Dowson and fellow coach Sam Vesty took over in 2022, Northampton have won the English top flight and progressed well in the continental tournament – beaten by their Gallic opponents in last season’s final and ousted by Leinster in a penultimate round before that.

They currently top the competition ladder after four wins and a draw and head to their West Country rivals on the weekend as the just one without a loss, aiming for a first win at Ashton Gate since 2021.

It would be natural to think Dowson, who participated in 262 premier matches for multiple clubs combined, consistently aimed to be a manager.

“When I played, I hadn't given it much thought,” he says. “However as you get older, you understand how much you appreciate the sport, and what the normal employment is like. I had a stint at a banking firm doing a trial period. You do the commute a multiple instances, and it was challenging – you see what you do and don’t have.”

Conversations with former mentors culminated in a job at the Saints. Jump ahead eight years and Dowson manages a roster increasingly packed with national team players: Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall, Alex Mitchell and Alex Coles started for the national side versus the All Blacks two weeks ago.

An emerging talent also had a major effect from the replacements in England’s perfect autumn while the fly-half, in time, will inherit the pivotal position.

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

“It is a combination of the two,” states Dowson. “I would acknowledge an ex-coach, who thrust them into action, and we had some tough days. But the exposure they had as a group is certainly one of the causes they are so tight and so gifted.”

Dowson also cites Mallinder, an earlier coach at Franklin’s Gardens, as a key figure. “It was my good fortune to be coached by highly engaging personalities,” he says. “He had a major effect on my career, my coaching, how I deal with others.”

Saints play entertaining football, which became obvious in the instance of their new signing. The import was a member of the French club beaten in the continental tournament in the spring when the winger registered a three tries. He was impressed enough to buck the pattern of English talent moving to France.

“A friend rang me and remarked: ‘There’s a French 10 who’s looking for a team,’” Dowson says. “I said: ‘We lack the money for a French fly-half. Thomas Ramos will have to wait.’

‘He desires a fresh start, for the opportunity to test himself,’ my mate informed me. That interested me. We met with him and his communication was incredible, he was eloquent, he had a witty personality.

“We questioned: ‘What do you want from this?’ He said to be coached, to be driven, to be in a new environment and away from the Top 14. I was thinking: ‘Come on in, you’re a legend of a man.’ And he turned out to be. We’re lucky to have him.”

Dowson states the emerging Henry Pollock provides a particular vitality. Does he know a player like him? “Not really,” Dowson answers. “Each person is individual but Pollock is different and unique in multiple respects. He’s fearless to be authentic.”

The player's sensational try against the Irish side last season demonstrated his exceptional skill, but a few of his demonstrative on-field antics have led to claims of arrogance.

“On occasion comes across as overconfident in his actions, but he’s not,” Dowson clarifies. “Plus Pollock is not joking around the whole time. Tactically he has ideas – he’s a smart player. I think on occasion it’s shown that he’s merely a joker. But he’s intelligent and a positive influence to have around.”

Few managers would claim to have enjoying a tight friendship with a assistant, but that is how Dowson frames his relationship with Vesty.

“We both have an inquisitiveness around diverse subjects,” he explains. “We maintain a literary circle. He aims to discover various elements, seeks to understand all there is, aims to encounter new experiences, and I feel like I’m the alike.

“We converse on numerous things outside the sport: movies, books, ideas, culture. When we played the Parisian club last year, the cathedral was under renovation, so we had a little wander around.”

One more fixture in Gall is coming up: The Saints' return with the English competition will be temporary because the continental event kicks in next week. Pau, in the vicinity of the border region, are the initial challenge on Sunday week before the Pretoria-based club visit soon after.

“I refuse to be overconfident enough to {