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Northampton isn't exactly the most tropical location globally, but its club delivers an abundance of excitement and passion.

In a town known for shoe production, you would think punting to be the Saints’ primary strategy. Yet under leader Phil Dowson, the side in the club's hues opt to keep ball in hand.

Even though representing a distinctly UK community, they showcase a panache typical of the greatest Gallic exponents of champagne rugby.

After Dowson and his colleague Sam Vesty took over in 2022, Northampton have claimed victory in the domestic league and gone deep in the continental tournament – beaten by Bordeaux-Bègles in the ultimate match and ousted by Dublin-based club in a semi-final previously.

They lead the Prem table after multiple successes and a single stalemate and travel to Bristol on Saturday as the just one without a loss, chasing a first win at Bristol's home since 2021.

It would be natural to think Dowson, who featured in 262 top-flight matches for multiple clubs combined, consistently aimed to be a coach.

“When I played, I never seriously considered it,” he says. “But as you get older, you comprehend how much you appreciate the game, and what the everyday life entails. I worked briefly at Metro Bank doing a trial period. You make the journey a few times, and it was tough – you realise what you possess and lack.”

Talks with former mentors led to a position at the Saints. Jump ahead a decade and Dowson guides a squad ever more filled with national team players: prominent figures started for the Red Rose versus the New Zealand two weeks ago.

Henry Pollock also had a major effect as a substitute in England’s successful series while the fly-half, down the line, will assume the fly-half role.

Is the rise of this remarkable cohort attributable to the team's ethos, or is it luck?

“It's a bit of both,” comments Dowson. “I’d credit the former director of rugby, who gave them opportunities, and we had some tough days. But the experience they had as a collective is certainly one of the reasons they are so tight and so skilled.”

Dowson also cites his predecessor, a former boss at their stadium, as a major influence. “I’ve been fortunate to be guided by exceptionally insightful people,” he says. “Mallinder had a significant influence on my professional journey, my training methods, how I deal with people.”

Northampton execute entertaining rugby, which became obvious in the case of the French fly-half. The Frenchman was involved with the opposing team overcome in the Champions Cup in April when the winger scored a hat-trick. Belleau liked what he saw to such an extent to buck the pattern of UK players joining Top 14 sides.

“A mate rang me and remarked: ‘We've found a fly-half from France who’s seeking a club,’” Dowson explains. “I said: ‘There's no money for a imported playmaker. Thomas Ramos will have to wait.’

‘He desires new challenges, for the possibility to test himself,’ my mate told me. That intrigued us. We met with Belleau and his English was incredible, he was eloquent, he had a sense of humour.

“We questioned: ‘What do you want from this?’ He answered to be coached, to be pushed, to be in a new environment and beyond the Top 14. I was thinking: ‘Join us, you’re a fantastic individual.’ And he proved to be. We’re fortunate to have him.”

Dowson comments the 20-year-old the flanker provides a particular vitality. Does he know a player similar? “Not really,” Dowson responds. “All players are individual but he is different and unique in multiple respects. He’s unafraid to be authentic.”

The player's breathtaking touchdown against Leinster last season illustrated his exceptional talent, but a few of his demonstrative in-game behavior have led to claims of arrogance.

“He sometimes seems arrogant in his conduct, but he’s not,” Dowson says. “Plus Pollock is not joking around all the time. In terms of strategy he has input – he’s a smart player. I feel sometimes it’s shown that he’s just this idiot. But he’s bright and great to have to have around.”

Few coaches would claim to have having a bromance with a head coach, but that is how Dowson frames his partnership with Vesty.

“Sam and I share an curiosity about diverse subjects,” he notes. “We maintain a book club. He desires to explore all aspects, aims to learn each detail, wants to experience new experiences, and I think I’m the same.

“We discuss many topics away from the game: cinema, reading, concepts, art. When we met Stade [Français] in the past season, the cathedral was undergoing restoration, so we had a quick look.”

One more date in the French nation is approaching: The Saints' reacquaintance with the Prem will be short-lived because the continental event takes over shortly. Their next opponents, in the shadow of the Pyrenees, are the initial challenge on the coming weekend before the Bulls travel to soon after.

“I refuse to be overconfident sufficiently to {