Match Preview: Northampton Saints boss ‘relishing’ RC Toulon challenge

Match Preview: Northampton Saints boss ‘relishing’ RC Toulon challenge

The 28-19 success at Glasgow Warriors last week lifted Northampton Saints to the top of Pool 3, ahead of English rivals Exeter Chiefs on points difference, and Dowson is eager for his side to continue that form.  

“We want to be dining at the top table and that means beating some of the best French sides; Toulon are currently second in the TOP 14,” he said. “We will relish that and we’re preparing for the game appropriately.”  

Northampton Saints, in fact, will be seeking a hat-trick of victories, as their win in Scotland was preceded by an 18-12 triumph over Saracens at the StoneX Stadium. 

Dowson commented: “The win against Glasgow was very similar in some ways to the Saracens game. We had a good start and got in amongst it. 

“We were good at the breakdown again and we didn’t give too many penalties away. We were also good in our defensive systems along with some really good physicality. 



“We knew, like the Saracens game, that Glasgow would put us under pressure at the end and they did. In an ideal world, we would deal with that better, but at the same time some of our resilience, grit and determination were outstanding. 

“We asked for the players to just keep doing what made us successful in the Saracens performance. We made good decisions on when to counterattack and when to kick. 

“It wasn’t a perfect performance, with some frustration in the second half as we invited them in for opportunities, but then our maul defence stood firm. 

“So, we’re looking for more of the same on Friday night in front of a packed-out cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.” 

The game kicks off at 20:00 and can be seen on TNT Sports, beIN SPORTS, SuperSport and FloRugby. 



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