Dowson content as Saints find the right balance

Director of Rugby Phil Dowson saluted his Northampton Saints side for producing what he described as an ‘outstanding’ performance against Harlequins on New Year’s Day.

The men in Black, Green and Gold scored six tries in front of a sold-out cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens to start 2023 on the front foot and jump up to fifth in the Gallagher Premiership standings.

James Ramm (twice), Alex Waller, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, George Furbank and Rory Hutchinson all crossed the whitewash for Saints, but their relentless hard work in defence also caught the eye as Harlequins – one of the league’s most dangerous sides – were restricted to just two consolation tries in the second half.

Northampton boss Dowson credited that element of the game to the hard work of his squad in recent weeks as they looked to find balance on both sides of the ball.

“How we tweak our DNA is a big thing so that we are more effective,” he said. “There are times we attack really well, but there are times we’ve been very loose in defence – so it’s about how you change that so you don’t take away your core strength, but you also keep improving and climb the league and get more results.

“We talked beforehand about trying to get a performance, and I thought we were outstanding at the breakdown and in defence against such a dangerous side. They’ve got so many dangerous players but we shut them down in that area and those are the things we want to bring from training.

“We’ve got a good group of lads, very coachable and (head coach) Sam Vesty is always happy. We talk about performance, getting stuff we practice in training and doing it under pressure, so I’m thrilled.

“I thought on a big day for the Club, in front of a full house, it was outstanding.”

Ramm was a key man for Saints, scoring twice in a fine display, with Fraser Dingwall earning BT Sport’s man-of-the-match award and George Furbank impressing from both fullback and fly-half after filling in at No.10 when Fin Smith was forced off at half time with an HIA.

But Dowson was also keen to praise the work of his forwards, particularly David Ribbans, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Alex Moon, who got through a lot of work with ball in hand.

He said: “James Ramm has come in and he’s been brilliant. He’s very good under the high ball, all that AFL from back home. He’s an ex-gymnast, he’s very athletic, he’s very studious and he works very hard in terms of the game plan.

“James has been brilliant coming into the system and we’re delighted with how he’s played. He’s found some form and he’s given us a defensive edge that we really appreciate.

“We really encourage our big ball carriers to go and do that. David Ribbans in the Munster game and today was outstanding, Alex Moon gets through a ton of work and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, playing at six and not in the second row, was less tired so he could get out in the open space and get his hands on the ball more.

“That combination between those three players ensured we stood up and got on the front foot.”