Northampton Saints Director of Rugby, Phil Dowson, insists that despite two opening defeats in the Gallagher Premiership, his side will not be throwing the baby out with the bathwater for this Sunday’s trip to Newcastle Falcons.
The men in Black, Green and Gold head to Kingston Park (kick-off: 3pm) off the back of narrow defeats against Sale Sharks and Bristol Bears, and will be hoping for a win in the north east to kick-start their season.
Saints welcome the experience of George Furbank and Fraser Dingwall back into the backline this weekend – but still are having to cope with a lengthy list of absent players. Tommy Freeman, Robbie Smith and James Ramm were added to the likes of Juarno Augustus, Emmanuel Iyogun, Burger Odendaal and Temo Mayanavanua on the treatment table this week, while Lewis Ludlam, Courtney Lawes, Sam Matavesi and Alex Mitchell are still yet to return to the Club from international duty.
Despite coming out narrowly on the wrong side of their two league fixtures so far in this season’s Gallagher Premiership, Dowson has seen enough from Northampton to know they are on the right track.
“We are definitely not changing anything in terms of the fundamentals of what we’re trying to do. Particularly in the first 30 minutes against Bristol we were excellent,” he said.
“We scored three tries, didn’t concede a single line-break against one of the best attacking sides in the league, and looked on top – so we don’t need to change anything.
“From the mental side of things, we need to focus on how we cope with pressure, and how we become disciplined – but also abrasive – in what we are trying to do in the contact area.
“Those are fine margins, and two weeks in a row, we have fallen foul of those margins, but I think there is enough within that which makes us really positive.
“There were loads of good bits of defence and physicality in the Sale game, and the first thirty minutes were excellent against Bristol.”
Phil Dowson, Director of Rugby
“Building the trust in our defensive system takes time. The more times we concede, it is harder to build that trust, but the way we are coaching and training it, I am confident the players feel like we are getting there, and have a good idea of how we are trying to defend.”
Last season’s performance up at Kingston Park from the men in Black, Green and Gold was one to remember; Saints ran in ten tries in Newcastle in April to win 66-5 on their way to securing qualification for the Gallagher Premiership’s semi-finals.
While Dowson is targeting another good result in the north east on Sunday, he knows Falcons – who are still winless under new director of rugby Alex Codling – will prove to be a stiff test for his side.
He said: “You’ve got to hope for the same outcome [as last season], but it is a different director of rugby for them, and a load of different players in both squads. If we can get some of the energy we had in that game, then we won’t be too far away.
“You can definitely see a bit of a difference in how Newcastle are trying to play this season. I know Alex Codling pretty well; he will be thorough and thoughtful with what he is doing.
“Newcastle have always had a committed and competitive squad, in terms of how they want to represent the north east, and that’s an exciting challenge for us.
“Everyone wants to win – the supporters, the coaches and the players are desperate to win of course. But what is important in the here and now is to get the performance spot on to make sure we get the victory.”
