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Northampton is hardly the most tropical spot in the world, but its rugby union team delivers an abundance of excitement and passion.

In a town renowned for footwear manufacturing, you might expect boot work to be the Northampton's main approach. Yet under head coach Phil Dowson, the squad in green, black and gold prefer to keep ball in hand.

Even though embodying a quintessentially English location, they display a style synonymous with the greatest French practitioners of champagne rugby.

From the time Dowson and his colleague Sam Vesty stepped up in 2022, Northampton have claimed victory in the English top flight and progressed well in the Champions Cup – losing to a French side in last season’s final and ousted by Leinster in a penultimate round earlier.

They sit atop the league standings after multiple successes and a single stalemate and travel to Ashton Gate on Saturday as the just one without a loss, seeking a first win at Bristol's home since 2021.

It would be expected to think Dowson, who featured in 262 elite matches for multiple clubs in total, always planned to be a manager.

“When I played, I never seriously considered it,” he says. “However as you get older, you comprehend how much you love the rugby, and what the real world entails. I worked briefly at a banking firm doing an internship. You travel to work a several occasions, and it was challenging – you grasp what you have going for you.”

Discussions with club legends culminated in a position at the Saints. Jump ahead a decade and Dowson manages a roster progressively filled with global stars: Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall, Alex Mitchell and Alex Coles lined up for England facing the the Kiwis two weeks ago.

The young flanker also had a major effect as a substitute in England’s successful series while the number ten, in time, will assume the pivotal position.

Is the emergence of this outstanding generation due to the team's ethos, or is it fortune?

“It's a combination of the two,” states Dowson. “I would acknowledge the former director of rugby, who gave them opportunities, and we had challenging moments. But the exposure they had as a collective is definitely one of the reasons they are so close-knit and so skilled.”

Dowson also namechecks Mallinder, another predecessor at their stadium, as a significant mentor. “I was lucky to be guided by highly engaging individuals,” he notes. “Jim had a major effect on my career, my coaching, how I deal with others.”

The team demonstrate entertaining the game, which proved literally true in the instance of Anthony Belleau. The Frenchman was part of the French club defeated in the continental tournament in last season when Freeman registered a hat-trick. Belleau was impressed to such an extent to reverse the trend of English talent joining Top 14 sides.

“A mate phoned me and stated: ‘We know of a fly-half from France who’s in search of a team,’” Dowson says. “I replied: ‘We lack the funds for a French fly-half. A different option will have to wait.’

‘He’s looking for new challenges, for the possibility to test himself,’ my mate informed me. That interested me. We met with Belleau and his English was outstanding, he was articulate, he had a sense of humour.

“We asked: ‘What are your goals from this?’ He answered to be coached, to be driven, to be in a new environment and beyond the Top 14. I was like: ‘Welcome aboard, you’re a legend of a man.’ And he proved to be. We’re lucky to have him.”

Dowson comments the emerging Pollock offers a unique enthusiasm. Has he encountered a player like him? “Not really,” Dowson answers. “All players are unique but Pollock is unusual and remarkable in many ways. He’s fearless to be himself.”

The player's sensational touchdown against Leinster last season showcased his freakish talent, but some of his demonstrative in-game actions have resulted in allegations of cockiness.

“At times seems overconfident in his behavior, but he’s far from it,” Dowson clarifies. “Plus Pollock is not taking the piss all the time. Tactically he has ideas – he’s no fool. I think sometimes it’s portrayed that he’s only a character. But he’s clever and a positive influence within the team.”

Not many managers would admit to having a bromance with a head coach, but that is how Dowson describes his partnership with his co-coach.

“We both possess an interest regarding different things,” he says. “We run a reading group. He desires to explore various elements, wants to know each detail, desires to try new experiences, and I feel like I’m the similar.

“We talk about many subjects beyond the sport: cinema, literature, thoughts, creativity. When we played Stade [Français] in the past season, Notre-Dame was under renovation, so we had a little wander around.”

Another fixture in the French nation is looming: The Saints' reacquaintance with the Prem will be short-lived because the European tournament kicks in soon. Their next opponents, in the foothills of the border region, are the initial challenge on the coming weekend before the South African team arrive at the following weekend.

“I refuse to be overconfident to the extent to {