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This English town isn't exactly the most glamorous destination on the planet, but its rugby union team provides a great deal of romance and adventure.

In a city renowned for shoe production, you might expect punting to be the Saints’ primary strategy. However under head coach Phil Dowson, the team in the club's hues choose to run with the ball.

Despite embodying a quintessentially English community, they exhibit a style synonymous with the best Gallic masters of champagne rugby.

Since Dowson and his colleague Sam Vesty assumed control in 2022, the Saints have won the domestic league and advanced far in the continental tournament – defeated by their Gallic opponents in the ultimate match and ousted by Dublin-based club in a last-four clash before that.

They currently top the Prem table after four wins and a draw and travel to their West Country rivals on matchday as the only unbeaten side, seeking a initial success at their opponent's ground since 2021.

It would be natural to think Dowson, who featured in 262 elite games for various teams combined, always planned to be a manager.

“During my career, I never seriously considered it,” he remarks. “However as you get older, you comprehend how much you appreciate the sport, and what the normal employment is like. I spent some time at a banking firm doing work experience. You travel to work a several occasions, and it was tough – you see what you do and don’t have.”

Conversations with club legends culminated in a job at the Saints. Jump ahead several seasons and Dowson leads a team increasingly filled with national team players: Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall, Alex Mitchell and Alex Coles were selected for England against the the Kiwis two weeks ago.

The young flanker also had a major effect as a substitute in the national team's flawless campaign while Fin Smith, in time, will take over the fly-half role.

Is the rise of this exceptional cohort because of the club's environment, or is it luck?

“It's a mix of each,” comments Dowson. “I’d credit the former director of rugby, who gave them opportunities, and we had difficult periods. But the experience they had as a group is definitely one of the causes they are so close-knit and so skilled.”

Dowson also namechecks Mallinder, an earlier coach at the club's home, as a significant mentor. “It was my good fortune to be guided by really interesting people,” he notes. “Mallinder had a significant influence on my professional journey, my training methods, how I manage individuals.”

Saints execute appealing the game, which was clearly evident in the example of Anthony Belleau. The Gallic player was part of the opposing team defeated in the Champions Cup in the spring when Freeman registered a hat-trick. The player admired the style sufficiently to go against the flow of British stars heading across the Channel.

“A mate phoned me and said: ‘We know of a fly-half from France who’s looking for a team,’” Dowson explains. “I said: ‘We lack the funds for a French fly-half. Thomas Ramos will have to wait.’

‘He desires a fresh start, for the possibility to prove his worth,’ my mate informed me. That caught my attention. We met with him and his English was outstanding, he was eloquent, he had a witty personality.

“We asked: ‘What do you want from this?’ He responded to be guided, to be driven, to be outside his comfort zone and away from the domestic competition. I was thinking: ‘Welcome aboard, you’re a legend of a man.’ And he proved to be. We’re fortunate to have him.”

Dowson comments the 20-year-old Henry Pollock brings a particular vitality. Has he coached a player comparable? “Not really,” Dowson replies. “All players are unique but Pollock is distinct and special in multiple respects. He’s not afraid to be himself.”

The player's sensational try against Leinster in the past campaign demonstrated his freakish ability, but a few of his demonstrative on-field antics have resulted in allegations of arrogance.

“He sometimes seems cocky in his actions, but he’s not,” Dowson says. “Furthermore he's not joking around the whole time. Tactically he has contributions – he’s a smart player. I think sometimes it’s depicted that he’s just this idiot. But he’s bright and great to have to have around.”

Few managers would claim to have sharing a close bond with a colleague, but that is how Dowson characterizes his relationship with Sam Vesty.

“Together have an curiosity around different things,” he says. “We run a reading group. He wants to see all aspects, seeks to understand all there is, desires to try new experiences, and I think I’m the alike.

“We talk about numerous subjects away from the sport: movies, reading, thoughts, creativity. When we met our French rivals previously, Notre-Dame was undergoing restoration, so we had a quick look.”

One more match in Gall is coming up: The Saints' comeback with the English competition will be temporary because the continental event kicks in soon. Pau, in the vicinity of the Pyrenees, are up first on matchday before the Bulls travel to a week later.

“I refuse to be arrogant sufficiently to {