'A legend of a man' - Dowson hails Saints hat-trick hero Coles

Coles took a massive step forward in 2025, with Saints and England, and he continued that fantastic form in the first game of 2026.

And Dowson said: “He is one of the most consistent guys, ultra-professional, a bit of a dork but a legend of a man.

“He’s brilliant in our environment and we love him.

"He works incredibly hard but he always finds his way into the game because he’s got a high rugby IQ and a high IQ generally, which allows him to have plenty of impacts.”

Discussing the development of 26-year-old forward Coles, who has scored six tries in nine appearances so far this season, Dowson added: "It was post-Six Nations last year when he came back in and he had a run of games.

"He had a sort of fits and starts season up to that point and then during the second half of the season, through that European campaign, I thought Alex Coles was outstanding.

"I thought he was great on the summer tour to Argentina, he got a lot of confidence from that, and this season he’s taken another step.

"His leadership of the lineout is exceptional and there’s lots of guys who do that.

"His ability to have impacts on the game in terms of his work rate and rugby IQ to be around the ball is outstanding.

"So you put those things together and you’ve got a really good player.

"I listened to a podcast he did with James Haskell and Alex Payne because our sports psychologist had said he’d spoken really well about his preparation and stuff like that, and I think his professionalism, his attitude, the way he leads in our environment has been exceptional – and I think you see that in his performances.

"I can’t speak highly enough of him.”