Phil Dowson was thrilled to see his Northampton Saints side leave Tottenham Hotspur Stadium victorious on Saturday, as the dramatic win against Saracens saw Saints remain top of the Gallagher PREM standings.
The men in Black, Green and Gold have found a way to win despite in recent weeks, first sneaking past Newcastle Red Bulls two weeks ago before clinching a last-minute success over Saracens thanks to Archie McParland’s 80th minute score.
A cumulative five points won Northampton those two clashes to keep them top of the PREM table after 12 rounds, and while their performances haven’t quite been up to Dowson’s standards, the Saints Director of Rugby is delighted that his side is still getting the results they need over the line.
“We played beautifully in the first 20 minutes, and then we just didn’t convert enough of those chances,” Dowson said after Saints’ dramatic 21-17 victory.
“We didn’t get through enough phases from an attack point of view, and we created some really good opportunities we didn’t convert.
“Fair play to Sarries because they put us under a lot of pressure, particularly at the set piece, so that meant we couldn’t really get into our game very much.”
Saints shot out of the blocks at Tottenham, with a pair of deftly cut lines sending first Tom Litchfield and then scrum-half McParland over in the first 15 minutes. But from there, Saracens wrestled back control of the match and managed to take the lead with less than ten minutes left on the clock.
Northampton did not let up their fight, however, and with JJ Van Der Mescht held up twice over the tryline, eventually their score did come. And it was to be a peach, as Fraser Dingwall drew in Saracens’ defenders to create the space for Litchfield to slip through, before the centre found McParland on his shoulder for the try with a glorious out-the-back offload.
Dowson added: “In the last 10 minutes, we were excellent in terms of trusting our game, continuing to go forward and pulling the trigger to make the space.
"But I thought we defended stoically and we worked incredibly hard, so we just about got through.
“I wouldn’t say it was an ugly win, but it certainly wasn’t as good as it can be.”
While bringing back in his international stars this weekend, Dowson had also rewarded the likes of Litchfield for strong performances throughout the PREM Cup campaign. And the 23-year-old centre – who started ahead of returning England international Dingwall – proved the Saints coaches right in their trust, scoring Saints’ opener before producing his moment of brilliance to set up the match-winner.
“Litch, in the last few weeks, has been playing some of the best rugby of his life,” Dowson said.
“He looks very confident, he looks very powerful and he’s been a handful for the opposition.
“He’s created something there out of nothing (for McParland’s winning try) and the offload is fairly audacious as well.”
And another of Saints’ young stars to earn Dowson’s praise was that match-winning scorer McParland.
“Archie is incredibly driven,” Dowson said of the 21-year-old. “He pushes himself incredibly hard; he’s one of the most conscientious and professional people here. I’m loving the fact that a lot of that hard work is coming to fruition in the game.
“I think that is the name of the game: creating that strength in depth, making sure you have a lot of guys that can step in, whether it is through injury or fatigue. That is what we are going to have to do in rotating the squad to make sure we manage bodies and people.
“Our model is built around developing people and trying to make them better. Sam Vesty is incredibly good at that, and we see the fruits of that labour frequently. Archie is definitely one of those guys.”
Despite the performances of Saints’ backs stealing the show, it was back rower Tom Pearson who was given the Player of the Match gong. His trademark physicality against Saracens saw him make some 34 metres from nine carries, while also making 13 tackles and securing Saints one of their six turnovers during the match.
Of Pearson, Dowson said: “He’s having a very, very good season, and statistically he’s one of the best in the league.
“The thing that’s really marked to me is his set piece work, the work he does in the lineout and the improvement he’s made there with James Craig.
“I’m incredibly proud of his performance today and how he’s been playing all year.”