Saints Director of Rugby Phil Dowson: ‘I Tried Working for a Bank – It Was Tough’
This English town may not be the most glamorous spot in the world, but its club delivers plenty of romance and adventure.
In a place renowned for footwear manufacturing, you would think kicking to be the Saints’ main approach. But under leader Phil Dowson, the side in the club's hues choose to keep ball in hand.
Despite embodying a typically British town, they exhibit a flair typical of the greatest French masters of champagne rugby.
After Dowson and the head coach Sam Vesty assumed control in 2022, the Saints have won the Premiership and advanced far in the Champions Cup – losing to Bordeaux-Bègles in last season’s final and eliminated by the Irish province in a last-four clash earlier.
They sit atop the competition ladder after a series of victories and one tie and head to Bristol on Saturday as the just one without a loss, seeking a first win at Ashton Gate since 2021.
It would be expected to think Dowson, who played 262 top-flight fixtures for multiple clubs combined, always planned to be a coach.
“As a professional, I hadn't given it much thought,” he remarks. “However as you age, you realise how much you appreciate the rugby, and what the real world looks like. I worked briefly at a banking firm doing a trial period. You travel to work a few times, and it was difficult – you grasp what you possess and lack.”
Talks with Dusty Hare and Jim Mallinder culminated in a position at the Saints. Move forward eight years and Dowson guides a squad increasingly crammed with national team players: prominent figures lined up for the Red Rose versus the the Kiwis two weeks ago.
An emerging talent also had a significant influence off the bench in the national team's successful series while Fin Smith, down the line, will inherit the fly-half role.
Is the development of this exceptional cohort due to the team's ethos, or is it chance?
“This is a bit of both,” says Dowson. “I’d credit the former director of rugby, who gave them opportunities, and we had some tough days. But the practice they had as a unit is undoubtedly one of the factors they are so united and so talented.”
Dowson also namechecks Jim Mallinder, a former boss at their stadium, as a key figure. “It was my good fortune to be coached by really interesting people,” he says. “He had a significant influence on my career, my coaching, how I manage others.”
Saints execute entertaining rugby, which was clearly evident in the instance of Anthony Belleau. The Frenchman was involved with the Clermont XV defeated in the continental tournament in last season when Tommy Freeman notched a triple. The player was impressed to such an extent to go against the flow of British stars heading across the Channel.
“A friend called me and stated: ‘We've found a Gallic number ten who’s seeking a side,’” Dowson recalls. “I said: ‘We don’t have budget for a French fly-half. Thomas Ramos will have to wait.’
‘He wants a fresh start, for the opportunity to challenge himself,’ my friend informed me. That intrigued us. We met with Belleau and his language skills was outstanding, he was eloquent, he had a sense of humour.
“We questioned: ‘What do you want from this?’ He said to be guided, to be challenged, to be outside his comfort zone and beyond the domestic competition. I was like: ‘Welcome aboard, you’re a great person.’ And he turned out to be. We’re fortunate to have him.”
Dowson comments the 20-year-old Henry Pollock brings a unique enthusiasm. Has he coached an individual like him? “Not really,” Dowson responds. “Each person is original but he is distinct and special in many ways. He’s unafraid to be who he is.”
The player's sensational score against the Irish side previously illustrated his freakish ability, but a few of his expressive in-game antics have brought allegations of cockiness.
“He sometimes seems arrogant in his conduct, but he’s the opposite,” Dowson clarifies. “Furthermore Pollock is not taking the piss all the time. In terms of strategy he has ideas – he’s a smart player. I feel sometimes it’s shown that he’s just this idiot. But he’s bright and good fun in the squad.”
Hardly any directors of rugby would admit to sharing a close bond with a colleague, but that is how Dowson describes his partnership with Vesty.
“Together have an interest about different things,” he says. “We run a reading group. He aims to discover various elements, wants to know all there is, aims to encounter different things, and I believe I’m the alike.
“We converse on many topics away from rugby: cinema, books, concepts, art. When we met the Parisian club previously, Notre-Dame was undergoing restoration, so we had a little wander around.”
One more match in France is approaching: The Saints' reacquaintance with the English competition will be short-lived because the Champions Cup kicks in shortly. Pau, in the foothills of the border region, are the initial challenge on matchday before the Pretoria-based club arrive at soon after.
“I refuse to be overconfident sufficiently to {
