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This English town isn't exactly the most exotic location globally, but its squad provides a great deal of thrills and drama.

In a place renowned for boot‑making, you might expect kicking to be the Saints’ main approach. But under head coach Phil Dowson, the team in their distinctive colors choose to keep ball in hand.

Despite representing a distinctly UK location, they showcase a flair synonymous with the greatest French masters of champagne rugby.

After Dowson and his colleague Sam Vesty took over in 2022, the Saints have claimed victory in the Premiership and gone deep in the continental tournament – defeated by a French side in the previous campaign's decider and knocked out by the Irish province in a penultimate round earlier.

They currently top the Prem table after four wins and a draw and travel to their West Country rivals on matchday as the just one without a loss, aiming for 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 altogether, had long intended to be a trainer.

“As a professional, I didn't really think about it,” he says. “Yet as you age, you understand how much you enjoy the rugby, and what the everyday life looks like. I spent some time at a financial institution doing an internship. You do the commute a few times, and it was challenging – you grasp what you have going for you.”

Conversations with Dusty Hare and Jim Mallinder led to a job at the Saints. Move forward eight years and Dowson guides a roster ever more packed with internationals: key individuals were selected for the Red Rose facing the New Zealand two weeks ago.

An emerging talent also had a major effect from the replacements in the national team's successful series while the fly-half, in time, will assume the fly-half role.

Is the rise of this exceptional generation due to the Saints’ culture, or is it fortune?

“This is a bit of both,” comments Dowson. “I would acknowledge an ex-coach, who gave them opportunities, and we had difficult periods. But the experience they had as a collective is certainly one of the causes they are so tight and so skilled.”

Dowson also namechecks his predecessor, another predecessor at the club's home, as a key figure. “I was lucky to be coached by exceptionally insightful individuals,” he says. “He had a significant influence on my career, my coaching, how I interact with people.”

Northampton play attractive the game, which proved literally true in the case of the French fly-half. The Frenchman was a member of the opposing team overcome in the Champions Cup in the spring when Freeman registered a triple. The player liked what he saw to such an extent to go against the flow of UK players moving to France.

“A mate rang me and said: ‘We know of a French 10 who’s in search of a side,’” Dowson recalls. “My response was: ‘There's no funds for a imported playmaker. A different option will have to wait.’

‘He desires experience, for the chance to prove his worth,’ my friend said. That intrigued us. We had a conversation with Anthony and his language skills 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 facing unfamiliar situations and beyond the Top 14. I was saying: ‘Join us, you’re a great person.’ And he has been. We’re lucky to have him.”

Dowson states the emerging Pollock brings a unique energy. Has he encountered a player comparable? “Not really,” Dowson answers. “Everyone’s original but he is different and unique in multiple respects. He’s unafraid to be who he is.”

Pollock’s breathtaking try against the Irish side in the past campaign showcased his freakish skill, but a few of his expressive on-field antics have led to accusations of cockiness.

“At times seems arrogant in his conduct, but he’s the opposite,” Dowson says. “And he's being serious the whole time. Tactically he has ideas – he’s a smart player. I think on occasion it’s shown that he’s only a character. But he’s intelligent and good fun in the squad.”

Not many coaches would claim to have having a bromance with a colleague, but that is how Dowson characterizes his connection with Sam Vesty.

“Sam and I possess an curiosity regarding diverse subjects,” he says. “We have a book club. He desires to explore all aspects, seeks to understand each detail, wants to experience varied activities, and I think I’m the similar.

“We converse on numerous things outside rugby: cinema, books, concepts, creativity. When we played our French rivals last year, Notre-Dame was undergoing restoration, so we had a brief exploration.”

A further fixture in Gall is approaching: The Saints' return with the domestic league will be brief because the Champions Cup intervenes next week. Pau, in the vicinity of the mountain range, are up first on Sunday week before the South African team arrive at a week later.

“I won't be presumptuous enough to {