Phil Dowson expresses his one big concern over Henry Pollock

Despite having retired nearly a decade ago, Northampton Director of Rugby Phil Dowson is still able to enjoy a ‘relatable’ relationship with his players. At Franklin’s Gardens there isn’t a ‘them and us’ divide between the coaching staff and the playing group. Everyone takes their work seriously, they just don’t take themselves too seriously.

For a fun-loving character like Henry Pollock, it is just the sort of environment that allows him to thrive, and the Lions bolter is playing with a smile on his face and loving life at the moment. Dowson has embraced the showmanship and allowed the blonde bombshell flanker to be his unique self. However, Dowson does worry that the 20-year-old could one day become a victim of the British media’s mentality of building someone up only to then knock them down.

“My biggest concern is that he gets burnt and then he retracts and he is not being himself. That would be my biggest issue – that he says something or does something that people really don’t like and the heat becomes a bit more visceral, a bit more personal,” said Dowson.

“He’s a bright lad, he’s not stupid, and he is very driven to get to where he is at the moment. So again, it’s a case of that lecture thing, it’s not going to be somebody sitting down and wagging a finger at him, and saying, ‘don’t do this.’ But he’s more than willing to take advice.

“But at the momnent he is just running around playing rugby and having fun and I don’t need to tell him how to do that. My concern is that the media crushes him at some point and he goes into his shell, which would be sad because he is good for the game and he is what the game needs.”

Dowson, 44, isn’t one to take a dictatorial approach – “we’re not preaching” – but he did offer some advice to England’s rising young star about the importance of striking the right balance between on and off-field matters.

“He gets invited to do a lot of stuff because he is the man of the moment and he’s charismatic and he is obviously very talented. And I just said, you have to be really picky because if you try and be all things to everybody, you end up focusing more on the off-field stuff than the on-field stuff, and the on-field stuff is the foundation of it.

“So I just said, about brands, attach yourself to names that are top level, make sure you are not cheapening that name by doing everything, be a little more choosy. So he knocked on my door and came in and said, I’ve got a photoshoot with Burberry’. I said, ‘yeah, that’s pretty good man, you should probably do that.”

Former England back-rower Dowson led Saints to the 2024 Premiership title, as well as a Champions Cup final – proof that success can be achieved by doing things the right way with humanity at the core of the club’s culture.

Life as a Premiership DoR comes with heaps of pressure, though, and he, too, recognises the importance of enjoying what you do, as well as keeping things in perspective.

Speaking to the Coaching Culture YouTube show fronted by former Leicester player Ben Herring, Dowson gave a personal insight into how he came to appreciate how rugby is not the be-all and end-all.

“We always have a saying that a sense of humour goes a long way. Rugby is pretty mental, 30 games a year, it’s nuts really,” said the former Newcastle, Saints and Worcester player.

“After a loss, or a disappointment, it’s important to make sure you have some context and some perspective and take a step back.

“When my wife worked for the NHS during Covid, it was pretty healthy from my point of view because I would come back and say, ‘we lost 10 lineouts’, and she would say, ‘two patients died today.’ And you’re like, ‘well, we can get better at the lineout, so let’s not worry too much.'”