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Northampton isn't exactly the most exotic spot globally, but its club offers a great deal of thrills and drama.

In a city known for boot‑making, you might expect kicking to be the Saints’ modus operandi. But under leader Phil Dowson, the side in the club's hues prefer to run with the ball.

Although embodying a distinctly UK location, they showcase a style typical of the best French masters of expansive play.

Since Dowson and the head coach Sam Vesty stepped up in 2022, the Saints have claimed victory in the domestic league and gone deep in the continental tournament – losing to Bordeaux-Bègles in last season’s final and eliminated by Leinster in a semi-final earlier.

They currently top the Prem table after four wins and a draw and visit their West Country rivals on Saturday as the sole undefeated team, aiming for a first win at Ashton Gate since 2021.

It would be expected to think Dowson, who played 262 top-flight fixtures for various teams in total, had long intended to be a manager.

“When I played, I hadn't given it much thought,” he remarks. “Yet as you age, you comprehend how much you appreciate the rugby, and what the real world is like. I spent some time at a financial institution doing work experience. You make the journey a several occasions, and it was difficult – you see what you do and don’t have.”

Discussions with former mentors culminated in a job at the Saints. Fast-forward eight years and Dowson manages a roster ever more filled with national team players: Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall, Alex Mitchell and Alex Coles were selected for the Red Rose against the the Kiwis two weeks ago.

An emerging talent also had a profound impact off the bench in England’s flawless campaign while the number ten, in time, will take over the fly-half role.

Is the rise of this outstanding generation attributable to the club's environment, or is it luck?

“This is a combination of the two,” states Dowson. “I’d credit the former director of rugby, who thrust them into action, and we had some tough days. But the experience they had as a group is undoubtedly one of the reasons they are so united and so skilled.”

Dowson also mentions his predecessor, another predecessor at Franklin’s Gardens, as a key figure. “I’ve been fortunate to be mentored by highly engaging personalities,” he notes. “Mallinder had a major effect on my rugby life, my coaching, how I interact with individuals.”

Northampton demonstrate entertaining the game, which proved literally true in the example of the French fly-half. The import was involved with the opposing team beaten in the Champions Cup in April when Freeman notched a hat-trick. He was impressed sufficiently to buck the pattern of UK players heading across the Channel.

“An associate called me and said: ‘We've found a French 10 who’s in search of a side,’” Dowson recalls. “I said: ‘We don’t have budget for a French fly-half. A different option will have to wait.’

‘He desires new challenges, for the possibility to test himself,’ my mate said. That interested me. We spoke to him and his English was outstanding, he was well-spoken, he had a sense of humour.

“We inquired: ‘What are you seeking from this?’ He responded to be coached, to be challenged, to be facing unfamiliar situations and away from the domestic competition. I was saying: ‘Come on in, you’re a legend of a man.’ And he proved to be. We’re fortunate to have him.”

Dowson says the 20-year-old the flanker offers a unique vitality. Has he encountered a player similar? “Not really,” Dowson responds. “Everyone’s unique but Pollock is distinct and special in numerous aspects. He’s unafraid to be authentic.”

Pollock’s breathtaking score against their opponents last season showcased his exceptional skill, but some of his expressive on-field antics have led to claims of arrogance.

“At times appears arrogant in his behavior, but he’s not,” Dowson asserts. “Furthermore he's not joking around the whole time. Game-wise he has ideas – he’s no fool. I feel on occasion it’s depicted that he’s only a character. But he’s clever and great to have in the squad.”

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

“Together have an inquisitiveness about various topics,” he says. “We maintain a literary circle. He wants to see everything, wants to know each detail, wants to experience new experiences, and I think I’m the similar.

“We converse on numerous topics beyond the sport: cinema, reading, thoughts, creativity. When we met our French rivals previously, Notre-Dame was being done up, so we had a brief exploration.”

One more date in Gall is coming up: The Saints' comeback with the domestic league will be brief because the continental event intervenes next week. The French side, in the shadow of the mountain range, are the opening fixture on Sunday week before the South African team visit the following weekend.

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