LONG READ ‘A Northampton win should be seen as vindication of the burgeoning England credentials of Dowson and Vesty’

Who needs Andy Farrell? Or Shaun Edwards, fine men both and top coaches in their own field? To judge by the clamour for the RFU to move in on both individuals with the utmost haste – too late in Farrell’s case – you’d think that there wasn’t a host of nearer-to-home options as England look to nail down their succession planning in case the Borthwick Project were to hit the buffers, either this summer or in the build-up towards next year’s World Cup in Australia.

While Farrell and Edwards claim the headlines, the fact of the matter is that we have some of the country’s finest on show at Twickenham on Saturday for the PREM final – Phil Dowson and Sam Vesty of Northampton Saints and Exeter’s old slugger, Rob Baxter. Would any England supporter raise a critical eyebrow if either the Saints pair or Baxter were in charge of national affairs post-RWC2027?  I doubt you’d find a dissenting voice.

Baxter’s claims are to be dealt with in another column, notwithstanding the fact that the man himself has reservations as to whether the national job suits his day-to-day preference for constant hands-on involvement. But Baxter, 55, is of an age. Dowson and Vesty are the coming men.

There are many issues on the line on Saturday, notably that bit of fancy silverware that both clubs have had their mitts on, as recently as two years ago in Northampton’s case. Even though Exeter are outsiders given their surprise yet wholly merited run to the final, a Northampton victory should be seen as vindication of the burgeoning credentials of Dowson and Vesty. It would be two titles in three years and a sure sign that the pair have got what it takes to achieve notable things on a rugby field, the single most important asset for any coach aspiring to lead their country.

That is the play in a nutshell – nailing the big moments. Borthwick has yet to fill in that line on his England CV.  Close but no cigar at the 2023 World Cup, a 12-match winning streak offset by a disastrous 2026 Six Nations Championship when England lost four of their five matches, a dismal return only marginally offset by their spirited (losing) rally against France in the last game. Straws and clutching come to mind.

Northampton are as one when it comes to the way they prefer to play the game – attend to the basics at set-piece in order to unleash the running threats that they have right across the backline.

The Dowson regime has little need of further affirmation, but another Premiership title will be enough to cement him and Vesty as the coaching double-act that the RFU ought to be setting their sights on for the future. Of course such things are a delicate matter, with Borthwick in office and the two men contracted at their own much-loved club. But that is the reality of the business. There has to be at the very least a brain-storming white-board at Twickenham. Just as there is for players, there ought to be a pathway for national coaches.

Look at how the New Zealand union made its move. Tony Brown, a coveted attack coach for many years, has just been announced as crossing over from the Springboks camp back to his homeland in 2028. That’s how to safeguard your assets.

What does the Dowson set-up offer? Fingers crossed, it will be there in vivid colour at Twickenham on Saturday, a blur of green, black and gold activity, hard-nose hammer up front allied to their most distinctive trait of the last few years under Vesty’s perceptive guidance in particular, the backs’ ability to seek space and then decisively exploit it.

Northampton are as one when it comes to the way they prefer to play the game – attend to the basics at set-piece in order to unleash the running threats that they have right across the backline. Vesty is a disciple of a creed that is the hallmark of some of the most innovative coaches to have graced the game – from Stade Toulousain guru Pierre Villepreux, on to Brian Ashton and through to two men who brought that illuminating approach at different times to Franklin’s Gardens, Wayne Smith and Chris Boyd. Their belief system – dare to challenge yourself first and foremost, in order to challenge an opponent – is imbued in the Saints’ way. It is not about being free and easy for the game deserves more respect than that, but it is about being bold and about being responsible. How England could do with some of that, showing enterprise only when it was too late.

Scrums, lineouts and breakdown techniques matter – human psychology matters more. Dowson knows where the buttons are and when to push them.

Call it what you will – organised chaos – but it has got the Saints to this point. It takes more than mere coaching drills to get all this out on the field. And that is where Dowson comes in. The 44-year-old sets the tone. He creates the trust. He inculcates the work ethic needed to implement such strategies. Dowson is a leader, empathetic as well as authoritative, an incredibly difficult balance to strike. Eddie Jones rarely managed it, Borthwick too, while Clive Woodward had a significant helping hand from the strong on-field presence of a Martin Johnson and Lawrence Dallaglio.

The way in which Dowson has handled the blooming flower – bloomin’ pest some would say – that is Henry Pollock shows that he is a master at man management, the proof there to see in full technicolour at the Gardens last Friday when the young back-row forward delivered a seminal performance in the 45-31 win over Leicester Tigers. Dowson has the utmost respect for two key aspects of Pollock – his youthfulness and his talent. Not for him public rollockings about the need to curb his more out-there antics, such as trying to goad Leicester a few weeks earlier in a league game when he took to shadow-boxing a bemused Hanro Liebenberg. Just a paternal arm around the shoulder and a pledge that Pollock is the real deal. Scrums, lineouts and breakdown techniques matter – human psychology matters more. Dowson knows where the buttons are and when to push them.

The Dowson way contains few mystifying secrets. Dan Schoefield’s insightful piece in The Daily Telegraph after a week embedded at the club contained the strap line ‘constant laughter and a few haymakers.’  That’ll do for many of us. You have to be strong to give people their head and strong, too, to acknowledge the need for constant review and change. The selection and sustained backing of Tom Litchfield in the centre encapsulates the fact that loyalty is to the team first and foremost, not to an individual player. A Litchfield first-half hat-trick against the Tigers was proof positive that Dowson made the right call.

And so to Saturday. The game itself is the thing. But the respective coaching boxes will also provide a fascinating sideshow.