Mallinder says that Dowson, who put pen to paper with Worcester earlier this week, will always be appreciated at Franklin’s Gardens, both for being the first Saint to lift a major domestic trophy – the 2010 LV= Cup – and for the role he has played in helping the team achieve the successes it has, not least the 2014 Aviva Premiership and European Challenge Cup victories.
“Phil’s been outstanding,” Mallinder says in this week’s Saints podcast. “He’s been a leader ever since he arrived, both on and off the field. He’s played for England, of course, which was fantastic for him but generally he’s been here week in, week out, and has a tremendous injury record.
“The way he plays is an inspiration to the team, and he’s a great talker, too, and a great motivator. Phil has been a massive driver here at Northampton, and a massive part of our success.
“Phil wants to go and play. That’s not to say that he wouldn’t play here, because he would do, but he’s had a fantastic offer from Worcester, who are desperate to get someone like Phil into their squad and help them take that next step forward.
“One of the big things that Dows has said is that he wants to go on and win something else with the club. He’s going to do as much as he can to get into the team and help us achieve.”
You can hear the full interview with Jim Mallinder in this week’s podcast, which also includes chats with Salesi Ma’afu, Tom Stephenson and Mike Haywood, with Luther Burrell previewing England’s Six Nations game with Italy. Listen for FREE on any device at www.soundcloud.com/official-saints-rugby
