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Northampton may not be the most tropical spot globally, but its squad offers a great deal of romance and adventure.

In a town renowned for shoe production, you could anticipate punting to be the Saints’ modus operandi. However under the director of rugby Phil Dowson, the team in the club's hues prefer to run with the ball.

Although playing for a typically British town, they display a flair synonymous with the best Gallic practitioners of champagne rugby.

After Dowson and fellow coach Sam Vesty took over in 2022, Northampton have secured the English top flight and gone deep in the Champions Cup – defeated by their Gallic opponents in the ultimate match and ousted by Leinster in a penultimate round earlier.

They sit atop the league standings after a series of victories and one tie and travel to Ashton Gate on the weekend as the only unbeaten side, seeking a first win at Ashton Gate since 2021.

It would be expected to think Dowson, who participated in 262 premier games for multiple clubs altogether, always planned to be a coach.

“When I played, I never seriously considered it,” he remarks. “Yet as you get older, you understand how much you love the sport, and what the normal employment looks like. I spent some time at a financial institution doing work experience. You travel to work a few times, and it was tough – you realise what you do and don’t have.”

Discussions with club legends culminated in a job at Northampton. Jump ahead a decade and Dowson manages a roster increasingly packed with internationals: Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall, Alex Mitchell and Alex Coles lined up for the national side against the the Kiwis two weeks ago.

Henry Pollock also had a significant influence from the replacements in the national team's successful series while the number ten, eventually, will take over the pivotal position.

Is the rise of this exceptional cohort because of the Saints’ culture, or is it fortune?

“It's a mix of each,” comments Dowson. “My thanks go to Chris Boyd, who basically just threw them in, and we had some tough days. But the practice they had as a group is definitely one of the causes they are so tight and so skilled.”

Dowson also mentions his predecessor, another predecessor at their stadium, as a major influence. “It was my good fortune to be mentored by highly engaging people,” he says. “Jim had a big impact on my career, my management style, how I interact with individuals.”

The team demonstrate attractive football, which became obvious in the instance of their new signing. The import was part of the French club defeated in the Champions Cup in the spring when Freeman scored a hat-trick. Belleau admired the style enough to reverse the trend of UK players heading across the Channel.

“An associate phoned me and said: ‘There’s a French 10 who’s seeking a club,’” Dowson says. “I said: ‘We don’t have budget for a French fly-half. Another target will have to wait.’

‘He desires a fresh start, for the possibility to challenge himself,’ my contact said. That intrigued us. We met with Belleau and his English was outstanding, he was articulate, he had a funny side.

“We asked: ‘What are your goals from this?’ He answered to be trained, to be pushed, to be in a new environment and away from the French league. I was like: ‘Join us, you’re a legend of a man.’ And he has been. We’re fortunate to have him.”

Dowson says the emerging Henry Pollock brings a specific vitality. Does he know anyone like him? “Never,” Dowson answers. “Each person is unique but he is unusual and remarkable in numerous aspects. He’s fearless to be authentic.”

The player's breathtaking score against their opponents in the past campaign demonstrated his unusual talent, but various his demonstrative in-game antics have resulted in claims of cockiness.

“On occasion seems cocky in his conduct, but he’s far from it,” Dowson clarifies. “And he's being serious constantly. Tactically he has ideas – he’s not a clown. I feel on occasion it’s shown that he’s only a character. But he’s intelligent and a positive influence in the squad.”

Few directors of rugby would describe themselves as having a bromance with a assistant, but that is how Dowson characterizes his relationship with Vesty.

“Together share an interest about various topics,” he notes. “We have a reading group. He wants to see all aspects, seeks to understand each detail, desires to try varied activities, and I believe I’m the similar.

“We discuss many subjects beyond rugby: movies, reading, ideas, art. When we met the Parisian club in the past season, the cathedral was being done up, so we had a brief exploration.”

A further match in France is looming: The Saints' reacquaintance with the English competition will be short-lived because the continental event kicks in shortly. Pau, in the shadow of the mountain range, are the opening fixture on the coming weekend before the Pretoria-based club arrive at soon after.

“I refuse to be presumptuous sufficiently to {