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This English town is hardly the most glamorous location in the world, but its rugby union team provides plenty of excitement and passion.

In a place famous for shoe production, you would think boot work to be the Saints’ main approach. Yet under head coach Phil Dowson, the squad in green, black and gold choose to retain possession.

Even though playing for a typically British community, they showcase a panache typical of the greatest French masters of expansive play.

After Dowson and the head coach Sam Vesty stepped up in 2022, Northampton have secured the domestic league and gone deep in the Champions Cup – defeated by Bordeaux-Bègles in the previous campaign's decider and knocked out by the Irish province in a semi-final before that.

They sit atop the Prem table after multiple successes and a single stalemate and travel to Ashton Gate on the weekend as the just one without a loss, seeking a maiden victory at Ashton Gate since 2021.

It would be natural to think Dowson, who participated in 262 top-flight games for various teams combined, always planned to be a coach.

“When I played, I hadn't given it much thought,” he says. “But as you get older, you understand how much you love the rugby, and what the normal employment entails. I spent some time at a banking firm doing a trial period. You do the commute a several occasions, and it was challenging – you see what you have going for you.”

Conversations with former mentors led to a job at the Saints. Fast-forward a decade and Dowson guides a roster ever more packed with national team players: key individuals started for the national side versus the New Zealand two weeks ago.

Henry Pollock also had a major effect from the replacements in England’s flawless campaign while the number ten, eventually, will inherit the No 10 jersey.

Is the development of this exceptional generation because of the club's environment, or is it fortune?

“This is a mix of each,” states Dowson. “My thanks go to the former director of rugby, who basically just threw them in, and we had some tough days. But the practice they had as a group is undoubtedly one of the causes they are so united and so skilled.”

Dowson also mentions Jim Mallinder, another predecessor at Franklin’s Gardens, as a significant mentor. “I was lucky to be mentored by exceptionally insightful individuals,” he notes. “Jim had a major effect on my professional journey, my management style, how I deal with people.”

Northampton demonstrate attractive the game, which proved literally true in the instance of their new signing. The Gallic player was a member of the Clermont XV overcome in the continental tournament in the spring when the winger scored a three tries. He liked what he saw to such an extent to buck the pattern of UK players heading across the Channel.

“A mate rang me and said: ‘There’s a fly-half from France who’s seeking a club,’” Dowson recalls. “I said: ‘We lack the funds for a overseas star. A different option will have to wait.’

‘He wants a fresh start, for the opportunity to test himself,’ my mate informed me. That intrigued us. We met with him and his communication was outstanding, he was eloquent, he had a funny side.

“We asked: ‘What are you seeking from this?’ He said to be trained, to be pushed, to be outside his comfort zone and beyond the French league. I was thinking: ‘Join us, you’re a legend of a man.’ And he proved to be. We’re lucky to have him.”

Dowson comments the 20-year-old the flanker brings a unique vitality. Has he coached anyone like him? “Never,” Dowson replies. “Everyone’s unique but Henry is distinct and special in many ways. He’s unafraid to be who he is.”

Pollock’s sensational try against their opponents in the past campaign demonstrated his unusual talent, but a few of his animated on-field behavior have led to accusations of overconfidence.

“On occasion appears overconfident in his behavior, but he’s not,” Dowson says. “Furthermore Pollock is not joking around the whole time. Tactically he has ideas – he’s no fool. I believe at times it’s depicted that he’s only a character. But he’s bright and great to have within the team.”

Not many directors of rugby would claim to have having a bromance with a colleague, but that is how Dowson describes his relationship with Vesty.

“We both have an inquisitiveness around different things,” he says. “We maintain a literary circle. He desires to explore all aspects, seeks to understand everything, wants to experience new experiences, and I feel like I’m the same.

“We talk about lots of things outside rugby: cinema, literature, concepts, art. When we played the Parisian club in the past season, the cathedral was under renovation, so we had a little wander around.”

One more date in Gall is approaching: Northampton’s reacquaintance with the Prem will be short-lived because the European tournament intervenes next week. Pau, in the vicinity of the Pyrenees, are the initial challenge on matchday before the Bulls travel to a week later.

“I won't be overconfident enough to {