Dowson discusses dramatic Saints win at Exeter, Tom Litchfield and facing Bath again

Those were the words of boss Phil Dowson after seeing his Saints side turn their Bath heartache into Exeter ecstasy on Saturday afternoon at Sandy Park.

The black, green and gold, who had suffered a painful 43-41 Investec Champions Cup quarter-final loss at The Rec eight days earlier, dished out some late drama of their own as Fin Smith's try gave them a key Gallagher PREM win at Exeter Chiefs.

Saints had gone 14-0 down in the early stages, but they kept fighting and showed their character and class to eventually secure a crucial bonus-point success that strengthened their grip on a top-two spot.

And Dowson said: "That's the entertainment business!

"I don't think you can measure the character and ability to bounce back from an emotional point of view and, with the way we worked this week, I'm so proud of the group. I thought it was excellent.

"The connection, the tightness in the group, the character, the resilience, the heart, the grit, all those sorts of things that we talk about are hard to define. We see it when this group is at it and won't stop and that's why there's such pride there."

Saints knew it would be a tough task to beat an Exeter side who went into the game sitting fourth, seven points off Dowson's table-toppers.

The Chiefs had come back from 33-7 down at half-time to salvage a 33-33 draw at cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens on the opening day of the season, and they ended Saints' PREM Rugby Cup bid by beating them in the semi-finals at Sandy Park last month.

But this time it was the black, green and gold who prevailed.

"Given the fact they dished us up in the PRC and they came back from 33-7 down to draw at our place, we knew what a good side they are," Dowson said.

"We've not had that much success against them.

"They've got the lowest points conceded in the league so it's hard to score points against them, but we managed to work through that and it was a really good challenge for us."

Tom Litchfield came in at centre for the rested Rory Hutchinson and produced another big performance, earning him the man of the match prize.

And Dowson said: "He's exceptional.

"To leave Rory Hutchinson at home, a Scottish international, and not miss a beat with Litch and for him to get man of the match, speaks volumes about Tom Litchfield. He's been outstanding.

"One of our strengths this year is that we have been able to rotate people at times and freshen them up. Other guys have really stepped in."

Next up for Saints is a huge league game against Bath at the Gardens next Saturday.

Dowson joked: "It's been a while!

"It will be exciting.

"There's no animosity towards Bath. It's a really good rivalry and they're a very good club.

"We want to be top of the table, so do they, so it's made for it.

"We want to beat everyone."