Attending a team social in Northampton last month, Phil Dowson and Sam Vesty reinforced their reputation as the town’s favourite double act.
The two coaches are known for enjoying themselves – an attitude that rubs off on their players – and they have a winning record to back it up. So when Dowson, the 6ft 4in director of rugby, arrived at the club dressed as an American cheerleader, nobody in the building was too surprised.
‘Dows was dressed as a cheerleader and I was dressed as a 1980s wrestler with the kneepads and the Lycra,’ reveals Vesty, the head coach. ‘We come in most days and enjoy ourselves. As a coaching group, we realise it’s not the most important thing in the world. We work in rugby. It’s not rocket science or trying to solve world hunger, is it?
‘The fun we have in the coaches’ office – playing Question of Sport on a Friday afternoon or whatever – is so important. It’s important the boys see us smiling and enjoying our time so they can relax and enjoy themselves. If that’s what your environment is about then you have to be true to that.’
The methods of Dowson and Vesty have turned Northampton – who will meet Exeter in Saturday’s PREM final at Twickenham – into the country’s leading club – and catapulted the duo to the front of conversations about the next set of England coaches, especially as they have done it without breaking the bank.
PREM Rugby’s salary survey showed Northampton had the third cheapest squad in the league on their latest accounts, spending almost £500,000 less than the £6.4m cap. They have not bought their way to success. Relying heavily on academy talent, they have fostered a core of young English players who appear to be having the time of their lives, on and off the pitch.
Phil Dowson, (left) the Northampton Saints director of rugby, and head coach Sam Vesty will take charge of Northampton in Saturday’s PREM final against Exeter
England’s shooting star Henry Pollock has thrived under the leadership of Vesty and Dowson at Northampton
The likes of Henry Pollock, Fin Smith, Tommy Freeman and George Furbank need no introduction to a rugby audience and the coaches are finally receiving the same credit.
‘We’ve got two of the best coaches in the world at this club,’ says Furbank, the full-back who will be joining Harlequins next season. ‘Vesty is probably the best coach I’ve ever had. He makes things incredibly clear and brings a whole energy to it. Dows can change depending on what the team needs. If we need a bit of an emotional boost, he can bring that. If we need calm and clarity, he can bring that as well. They’re very switched on and understanding coaches.’
Dowson and Vesty first crossed paths as schoolboys. Dowson played age-grade rugby for the North of England, while Vesty was representing the Midlands. Vesty coached Dowson at Worcester but their coaching relationship was forged on the touchline in Northampton.
‘We play padel, do pub quizzes, go on the drink together, talk a lot of crap about rugby,’ explains Dowson. ‘We even had a shared 40th birthday party which was karaoke. It’s a bit like Morecambe and Wise. I’m the straight guy and he’s the comedy.
‘We work well together because I try to give him as much space as possible to do what he’s exceptional at. He’s one of the best coaches in the world on the grass. He coaches players, develops players, pushes them to be better. I try to do the stuff that he doesn’t want to do, like talk to referees, talk to the RFU, talk to PRL, contractual stuff.
‘We can be really honest with each other. I’ll rely on him for advice and hopefully he feels the same. We’re different characters but we have a really similar sense of humour. We share books, we send articles to each other, we want to explore the world. He’s a smart dude with strong opinions. I admire him as a coach and I love him as a person.’
The coaching staff share an open-plan office at Franklin’s Gardens. That was one of Dowson’s first requests. Senior coaches, academy coaches and analysts all sit within earshot of one another, encouraging an open forum of discussion so the entire club is on the same page.
Vesty encourages his players to push themselves to the point of failure in training. He wants his players to be bold and brave on the pitch, backing themselves to find space and exploit it. They do not overload the players with structure and encourage them to attack from deep, where other teams would opt to kick for territory.
Vesty encourages his players to push themselves to the point of failure in training. He wants his players to be bold and brave on the pitch
‘They just free you up massively,’ says Saints winger Tommy Freeman of Dowson and Vesty. ‘There’s obviously a way we like to play and it’s all about us expressing ourselves’
‘They just free you up massively,’ says winger Tommy Freeman. ‘There’s obviously a way we like to play and it’s all about us expressing ourselves. You bring what you’re good at to the pitch.
‘Vesty allows us to make mistakes and when you’ve got that sort of license you tend not to make as many. They back you. They have confidence in you. The most annoyed they would ever get with you was if you were tight and tense.
‘They’re very good at letting us be who we want to be and I think that stems from the off-pitch stuff. You free yourself up as a person, not just a player.’
The coaches hired an ice cream van to drive onto the Franklin’s Gardens pitch on Thursday afternoon. Henry Pollock and his mates gathered around for Mr Whippies after their final training session of the week.
Thursday is the day when the backs are encouraged to do a three-minute presentation or talent show about anything other than rugby. Freeman put on a magic show, although Vesty’s favourite performance came from winger James Ramm.
‘We had this game called, “Whose house?” which was our take on Through the Keyhole,’ explains Vesty. ‘You watched a video and had to guess whose house it was.
‘James Ramm is presenting and I’m sat in this meeting thinking, “Flipping heck, that’s my house”. He’s in my kitchen, licking my cups. He goes into my bedroom and there’s this big lump in my bed. The camera goes in and Dows jumps out of my bed. My wife gave them the key!
‘It’s easy to see the fun side but the thing that would strike you is how hard we work. How hard we put it in on the training pitch and how much we value that. There’s an understanding that you are what you do. Everything we do comes from the training pitch. You’ve got to get the balance right and that’s what Dows is good at, keeping us on a nice steady keel.’
‘I’d absolutely love to coach England one day,’ says Vesty. ‘I’d love to do that and I’d love to do it with Dows’
‘We’ve got two of the best coaches in the world,’ says George Furbank. ‘Vesty is probably the best coach I’ve ever had. He makes things incredibly clear and Dows can change depending on what the team needs’
At Twickenham on Saturday, Northampton’s coaching double act will be leading their team into their third major final in three seasons. They have smashed the league’s all-time scoring record this season and their names could shine even brighter.
So, how do they feel when they hear people talking them up as future England coaches? ‘We’re very, very happy here,’ says Dowson. ‘We’ve got a great coaching group and great relationships. What will be will be in the future. Sam and I are both ambitious and we both want to test ourselves at some stage but we’re very happy here. I’d be interested to hear what Sam says…’
‘I’d absolutely love to coach England one day,’ adds Vesty. ‘I’d love to do that and I’d love to do it with Dows.’
For now, however, Northampton’s Morecambe and Wise have a show to prepare for against Exeter.