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This English town isn't exactly the most glamorous location in the world, but its club provides plenty of thrills and drama.

In a place known for boot‑making, you might expect kicking to be the Saints’ main approach. But under the director of rugby Phil Dowson, the team in their distinctive colors opt to keep ball in hand.

Despite playing for a typically British community, they exhibit a style synonymous with the finest Gallic exponents of champagne rugby.

Since Dowson and the head coach Sam Vesty stepped up in 2022, Northampton have secured the English top flight and progressed well in the European competition – beaten by Bordeaux-Bègles in last season’s final and ousted by Leinster in a penultimate round before that.

They sit atop the competition ladder after four wins and a draw and travel to their West Country rivals on Saturday as the just one without a loss, chasing a first win at Ashton Gate since 2021.

It would be expected to think Dowson, who featured in 262 top-flight games for Newcastle, Northampton and Worcester altogether, always planned to be a manager.

“When I played, I never seriously considered it,” he remarks. “However as you get older, you realise how much you enjoy the game, and what the normal employment entails. I spent some time at a banking firm doing work experience. You make the journey a few times, and it was challenging – you grasp what you have going for you.”

Conversations with Dusty Hare and Jim Mallinder culminated in a job at the Saints. Fast-forward several seasons and Dowson leads a roster progressively packed with internationals: Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall, Alex Mitchell and Alex Coles were selected for the national side facing the All Blacks two weeks ago.

The young flanker also had a major effect off the bench in England’s successful series while Fin Smith, eventually, will assume the No 10 jersey.

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

“It's a mix of each,” comments Dowson. “I would acknowledge an ex-coach, who gave them opportunities, and we had some tough days. But the practice they had as a group is definitely one of the causes they are so close-knit and so gifted.”

Dowson also namechecks Mallinder, a former boss at the club's home, as a key figure. “I’ve been fortunate to be mentored by highly engaging personalities,” he adds. “Jim had a major effect on my professional journey, my coaching, how I deal with individuals.”

Northampton demonstrate attractive the game, which became obvious in the case of the French fly-half. The import was involved with the opposing team overcome in the continental tournament in last season when Freeman registered a triple. The player liked what he saw enough to go against the flow of English talent heading across the Channel.

“A mate rang me and said: ‘We know of a French 10 who’s looking for a side,’” Dowson explains. “My response was: ‘We lack the budget for a overseas star. Another target will have to wait.’

‘He wants new challenges, for the opportunity to challenge himself,’ my friend told me. That caught my attention. We spoke to Belleau and his communication was excellent, he was well-spoken, he had a witty personality.

“We questioned: ‘What do you want from this?’ He responded to be guided, to be driven, to be outside his comfort zone and beyond the Top 14. I was like: ‘Welcome aboard, you’re a legend of a man.’ And he turned out to be. We’re lucky to have him.”

Dowson states the emerging Henry Pollock brings a particular energy. Has he encountered an individual like him? “Never,” Dowson responds. “All players are unique but he is distinct and special in multiple respects. He’s fearless to be himself.”

His breathtaking score against the Irish side in the past campaign showcased his exceptional ability, but a few of his animated in-game antics have led to accusations of cockiness.

“He sometimes appears arrogant in his actions, but he’s not,” Dowson says. “And he's not taking the piss the whole time. In terms of strategy he has contributions – he’s not a clown. I believe at times it’s portrayed that he’s only a character. But he’s clever and good fun within the team.”

Few directors of rugby would admit to having a bromance with a colleague, but that is how Dowson describes his connection with Vesty.

“Together share an curiosity about various topics,” he notes. “We have a book club. He aims to discover all aspects, wants to know each detail, aims to encounter new experiences, and I feel like I’m the same.

“We discuss lots of things away from rugby: movies, literature, concepts, art. When we played Stade [Français] in the past season, the cathedral was under renovation, so we had a little wander around.”

A further date in Gall is coming up: The Saints' comeback with the English competition will be short-lived because the continental event kicks in soon. Their next opponents, in the foothills of the mountain range, are the opening fixture on matchday before the Bulls arrive at soon after.

“I refuse to be arrogant sufficiently to {