The bright lights, rolling cameras and high octane action of Twickenham Stadium will take centre stage once again this Saturday, as the Premiership Final gets set to lift the roof off the home of English rugby. Northampton Saints Director of Rugby Phil Dowson recognises how the Final is the hottest ticket in town, as his men in green, black and gold line up against some truly ‘box office’ opposition.
Despite being a star-studded side in their own right, Northampton’s opponents have arguably the showpiece player of the Premiership Final. Bath Rugby will be led out by Scottish talisman Finn Russell, who has all the on-field attributes to be the difference between lifting the Premiership title and walking away in commiserative defeat from the stadium known as HQ. Dowson discussed the talents that the fly half is expected to bring to Saturday’s fixture, and expressed how the likes of Russell have only amplified this season’s curtain-caller.
“I think having the quality and caliber of players that they have, Finn Russell is box office. That generates loads of interest from fans, media, Bath is a very well supported club and I think that is good because at Northampton we are lucky to have really fanatical supporters base.”
“We have to concentrate on all of them, at different times. He’s (Finn Russell) clearly a key factor, but I think I mentioned before, Ben Spencer had been absolutely outstanding this season. Maybe because Finn Russell is such a big character, he is such a big name that Ben Spencer has maybe gone under the radar a little bit, but he’s been outstanding in terms of leading that group and playing very well.
“So they’ve got a big power game, they’ve got a very strong set pace, they’ve got great runners, they’ve got those two in the middle of that pulling strings and getting them down the pitch.”
Whilst Finn Russell takes the focus as Bath’s shiny new acquisition for the 2023/24 Premiership season, there is a stalwart amongst the Northampton ranks who’s spectator drawing power mirrors that of the self-declared ‘Lionel Messi of rugby’. Courtney Lawes is set for his final match for the Saints this weekend, after bidding farewell to Franklin’s Gardens this passed Saturday in the home semi-final triumph.
Lawes left it all out on the pitch that had been his home since 2007, with his final act at the Gardens being the match-winning turnover to take possession from Saracens, who were forging a late push for victory. Dowson is continuously impressed for his former teammate, and he praised the ‘old dog’ of the Saints ahead of his Premiership swansong.
“It was interesting that the first thing Courtney said afterwards in the huddle was, ‘that’s great, but then on to the next one.’ So yeah, the bases off if you win the semi-final you’ve got something to look forward to this week. Another week together, and with the characters that we have leaving at the end of the season, that’s important for us and we’re determined to enjoy that week.”
“I think from Courtney’s point of view, he’s been exactly the same from the first week I met him until this week, in terms of how he carries himself around. And that’s one of the great things about Courtney, is that he’s unflappable. He’s incredibly authentic, as you probably know from chatting to him, he’s genuine and not much changes.
“Courtney’s demeanour and his attitudes the same. He’s one of those things that really grounds us as a squad and really anchors us, because he’s been in those big games before. Like I said, his demeanour doesn’t shift too much in terms of those games. That’s a real good image for the players to see who haven’t been in that environment, to see how relaxed Courtney is about it and preparing for another game and making sure he gets his stuff together
“I think, if you go back to Courtney, he’s a set piece guy who would whack people. But, I remember spending tons and tons of time in terms of his running lines. So he wouldn’t be somebody who steps, but he kind of swerves into the contact. He’ll change lane, and he’ll go from one defenders lane to the next, and that and that drags somebody to step, and that’s what allows him to tip the ball.
He’s worked that quite a lot by running against the posts actually in team runs. Just changing the angle, changing in and changing out, and the players reacted to what he does. Curt (Langdon) came in this season and was like ‘oh, I like that.’ He watched him change lane, it wasn’t a big footwork step, it was a swerve.
“Couple that with the fact that he wanted to play more in the back row and I said, ‘can you get over the ball?’ And he was like, ‘yeah’. You look at the World Cup, I don’t know how many times, 10 yards out for England, it’s him coming up like with the ball.”
Dowson then went on to discuss his first interaction with Lawes, which took place on opposite sides of the pitch. A former lock for Newcastle Falcons before signing with the Saints, Dowson had travelled down to the East Midlands for a hard-hitting fixture which first introduced him to an 18-year-old protege in a young Courtney Lawes.
“The game I’m thinking of, I think it was Jim Mallinder’s second year so they had a year in the Championship, second year I was playing for Falcons, we’ve been on a bit of a run, and they were unbeaten at home. We came here and we had an 18-0 start, we’re winning.
I was having a bit of a scrap with Lee Dixon, who had been at Newcastle previously. So I was telling him what I thought, and out of the blue comes a young man who held me by the throat, he was quite a big unit and that was Courtney!
“Afterwards, in retrospect when you think back when I joined here that following season, I was like (to Lawes) ‘oh yeah, you’re the lad that got stuck in straightaway’, at whatever he was, 18. He was confident enough to get right in the mix.
“He’s always been so confident his ability, so down to earth. Like I say he’s really authentic, he just hasn’t changed from that point to now. He won’t take any cr*p but at the same time he’ll join in with all the lads. I just looked at him today, and he looked like an old dog compared to the baby face that I met back then. But yes, he’s been there, done that and loads has been written, loads has been said about what a legend he is, and I definitely back that up.”
Lawes is just one of a handful of players, that has worn the armband for Northampton this season. Dowson, along with his head coach Sam Vesty, incorporate a leadership method that rotates the captaincy amongst several players, to prevent one voice from being oversaturated amongst the squad. This approach has seen the likes of Lawes, Lewis Ludlam and Georg Furbank captain Northampton this season, with plenty of leaders expected to once again be in full voice for the weekend’s final.
“The season’s so long that you’re going to have so many captains. The start the season Luds (Lewis Ludlam) was away at the World Cup, Furbs did a cracking job as captain, I don’t even know if he’s lost yet as captain. (He hasn’t.) So Furbs has been brilliant as captain, Courtney has been captain, Luds has been captain, you’re not going to go through every single game having one person leading the ship.
“For one, because it gets really monotonous to hear the same voice over and over again. And so when I was playing here with Jim (Mallinder) Lee Dixon, Tom Wood, Cal Clarke, myself, any number of people would do it and that kept it fresh as well. And actually, the coin toss is the only thing you really have to do anyway, so I don’t think it’s a huge thing.
“I think in terms of the leadership around the place Courtney, whever he is captain or not, is always going to do his leadership element and the way he does it. Luds sat on the bench, as frustrated he is, is still doing his leadership stuff, regardless. So I don’t think the title of it doesn’t make a huge amount of difference.
“We want people to lead, regardless of what they are. Alex Coles leads the line-out, he’s not captain of the line-out. Just got to make sure we empower those leaders to be themselves. I think it was worth saying say it, if it’s not, then shut up, get on with it.”
With so much riding on the weekend, the narrative of historical significance is resinating amongst the Saints players and coaching staff. Dowson was apart of the last Northampton side to lift the Premiership title, and played alongside the likes of Lawes and Dylan Hartley in the triumphant 2014 victory over Saracens. A decade has since passed since Dowson’s win, and the DoR now looks to guide his side to write the newest chapter in the Saints history books.
“In terms of legacy, we talk about how the club started in 1880 and you all got Saints number, so it’s run for a long period of time. And it was set up at St. James’s church down there, it’s always been played at this ground changing rooms have been at the pub over the road, they’ve been a pub down here, a big sort of drinking theme here, but that’s that’s the legacy that’s come through.
“So it’s not just the guys who are on the wall it’s Edgar Mobs, It’s Freddie Blackstone, it’s all these other players Tim Rodber, and the Rodber Bar, you know, whatever else. Matt Dawson, Paul Grayson, you know all these lads who’ve been there and done that.
“I think if you get the opportunity to do that, not because you want your face on a big poster, just because you want to win something for club and people who are watching now. Dingers (Fraser Dingwall) was watching in 2014, 10 years time geez maybe ‘I can play in that, and maybe I can do that’ and that’s that’s where it comes from. The sooner they can take pictures of me and Woody (Tom Wood) picking a trophy up the better!”
Just a few weeks ago, Northampton were in the unique position of being in both the Premiership and Champions Cup Finals, yet a defeat to Leinster curtailed their hopes of doubling their trophy count for the season. The Saints struggled to get going in the early stages at Croke Park, and despite a resiliant second half performance against the Irish province, the Dubliners held out for the 20-17 win, to again be the tournaments silver medallists.
“There’s clearly elements of our game we need to get right in regards to Bath. But there’s also the fact that you’re playing in final and how do you manage that? Anticipation, nervousness, pressure, all those sorts of elements are part of it. And that’s something that we’ve talked about, but we’ve also had experience with playing at Twickenham earlier this season against Quins, and we didn’t quite get it right. Of playing against Leinster in Croke Park and playing Sarries here.
“The Leinster experience was great. And you’d love to have it again, you’d love to take that back with the lessons you learn from that game. And Leinster were incredibly well prepared for us, as Bath will be. So, how we manage that how we manage that expectation and then out of that, like I said, and they’ll be the same as well, in terms of that they want to put their game on the pitch and it’s how we manage that pressure.
Despite the full focus of both the Northampton and Bath players being the incoming final, there is the underlying narrative of international contention for the budding talents. England head coach Steve Borthwick will be especially interested in Saturday’s fixture, as plans continue to come together for the upcoming Summer tour of Japan and New Zealand.
Borthwick has assembled a 33-man training group at Pennyhill Park, yet will have the option to rekindle the cohort after the Premiership Final. Borthwick is set to solidify his squad for the trip out to the Far East on Monday 10th June, and will have the option to call-up the Bath and Northampton players at the expense of a current squad member. Dowson would only be delighted to see his young Saints continue their international careers against the Brave Blossoms and All Blacks this Summer, and would put all of the England eligible talents forward for the tour if the power was in his hands.
“It’s funny actually because all you see is all there is. So I see the lads train every day, plan every week so you know I have a really high opinion of them. And then Sam (Vesty) goes to Borthers (Steve Borthwick) and goes ‘Jesus, a lot of good players around, so many good players around’. He’d (Steve Borthwick) come in and he’d (Sam Vesty) go ‘he’s good, he’s good, he’s good.
So I don’t get to see Exeter train, I don’t get to see Leicester train so I’m really biased. I think take the whole squad, because their class, but I don’t watch every single game. Curt’s (Curtis Langdon) been playing really well. I think he is there or there abouts and whether he gets the final nod or not, I don’t know, it depends.
“That’s purely Steve isn’t it, as we’ve talked about. I think he likes him, but obviously Gabby Oghre’s gone in this week and there’s loads of really good players around.”