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Northampton is hardly the most tropical spot in the world, but its club offers an abundance of excitement and passion.

In a city famous for boot‑making, you could anticipate boot work to be the Northampton's primary strategy. Yet under head coach Phil Dowson, the squad in their distinctive colors opt to run with the ball.

Despite representing a quintessentially English community, they showcase a style synonymous with the greatest Gallic exponents of expansive play.

After Dowson and fellow coach Sam Vesty stepped up in 2022, Northampton have won the domestic league and progressed well in the Champions Cup – beaten by Bordeaux-Bègles in the ultimate match and knocked out by Dublin-based club in a last-four clash previously.

They sit atop the league standings after four wins and a draw and travel to their West Country rivals on the weekend as the sole undefeated team, chasing a initial success at Bristol's home since 2021.

It would be natural to think Dowson, who played 262 premier games for multiple clubs altogether, always planned to be a manager.

“When I played, I never seriously considered it,” he says. “Yet as you get older, you understand how much you love the game, and what the normal employment looks like. I spent some time at a financial institution doing a trial period. You make the journey a few times, and it was tough – you grasp what you possess and lack.”

Talks with former mentors culminated in a job at Northampton. Jump ahead a decade and Dowson manages a squad increasingly packed with national team players: Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall, Alex Mitchell and Alex Coles were selected for England against the the Kiwis two weeks ago.

An emerging talent also had a major effect as a substitute in the national team's flawless campaign while the fly-half, eventually, will inherit the fly-half role.

Is the development of this exceptional generation because of the team's ethos, or is it chance?

“It's a mix of each,” says Dowson. “I’d credit the former director of rugby, who thrust them into action, and we had challenging moments. But the exposure they had as a collective is certainly one of the factors they are so close-knit and so gifted.”

Dowson also namechecks Mallinder, a former boss at their stadium, as a significant mentor. “I was lucky to be coached by highly engaging personalities,” he says. “Jim had a significant influence on my career, my training methods, how I interact with others.”

Northampton execute attractive football, which was clearly evident in the example of the French fly-half. The Frenchman was part of the French club defeated in the European competition in April when the winger registered a triple. Belleau liked what he saw to such an extent to go against the flow of English talent joining Top 14 sides.

“A friend called me and stated: ‘We've found a French 10 who’s seeking a side,’” Dowson says. “My response was: ‘We lack the funds for a imported playmaker. Thomas Ramos will have to wait.’

‘He desires new challenges, for the chance to prove his worth,’ my friend told me. That intrigued us. We met with him and his language skills was excellent, he was well-spoken, he had a witty personality.

“We questioned: ‘What do you want from this?’ He answered to be coached, to be pushed, to be in a new environment and outside the Top 14. I was like: ‘Welcome aboard, you’re a legend of a man.’ And he turned out to be. We’re lucky to have him.”

Dowson says the 20-year-old the flanker offers a specific vitality. Has he coached anyone comparable? “No,” Dowson responds. “All players are unique but Henry is unusual and remarkable in many ways. He’s unafraid to be himself.”

The player's sensational score against Leinster last season showcased his freakish skill, but some of his expressive during matches actions have brought claims of arrogance.

“On occasion appears arrogant in his actions, but he’s not,” Dowson asserts. “Plus he's being serious the whole time. Tactically he has input – he’s no fool. I feel at times it’s depicted that he’s only a character. But he’s intelligent and great to have within the team.”

Hardly any managers would claim to have enjoying a tight friendship with a head coach, but that is how Dowson frames his connection with Vesty.

“Together possess an inquisitiveness about different things,” he says. “We run a book club. He desires to explore everything, aims to learn all there is, wants to experience varied activities, and I believe I’m the same.

“We discuss lots of topics away from the sport: films, reading, ideas, creativity. When we faced the Parisian club in the past season, the cathedral was undergoing restoration, so we had a brief exploration.”

One more fixture in the French nation is approaching: The Saints' reacquaintance with the English competition will be brief because the Champions Cup kicks in shortly. Pau, in the shadow of the mountain range, are the initial challenge on the coming weekend before the Bulls travel to soon after.

“I’m not going to be presumptuous enough to {