Dowson so excited about potential of Saints squad for second season in charge

The black, green and gold have made some key additions with the likes of flanker Tom Pearson and centre Burger Odendaal arriving to bolster the ranks.

And Saints will hope those players will be able to take them to the next level as they look to improve on back-to-back fourth-placed finishes in the Gallagher Premiership.

Last season was Dowson's first in charge at cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens.

And he said: "I learned a huge amount and I'm obviously really excited about this group of players this season.

"I've really enjoyed this pre-season and experience goes a long way.

"I got experience from that first year, learned a lot and I'm excited about this next challenge.

"It will be good to get a first hit-out at Bedford (on August 26) to put a lot of what we've practiced into our performance and see how we measure up.

"It's going to be a long, slow build-up to the Premiership so we're not going to go out of the gates too fast and we'll make sure we're ready for the Prem."

With the Rugby World Cup taking place in France from September 8 to October 28, there will be an unusual look to the English domestic season.

Saints will play five Premiership Rugby Cup pool matches, starting at Ealing Trailfinders on September 10, before beginning their league campaign at Sale Sharks on October 15.

And Dowson knows it will be vital that he gets his team selections right in the cup if Saints are to start with a bang at the AJ Bell Stadium.

"It will be really interesting because of the way the season's structured," he said.

"Early on, there are so many games on the bounce and you don't necessarily want to give guys five games of warm-up before the Premiership season starts.

"It will be an interesting competition in terms of how we use it to give guys game time and make sure they also stay fresh for the start of the Premiership.

"You don't necessarily peak with four flat-out games straight into a Premiership season so we're going to build that incrementally and make sure we're set up in the right way."

Dowson has been happy with how training has gone so far, praising the application of his players.

"We had a six-week block where the lads were brilliant, really committed to it," Dowson said. "The new lads were all excellent.

"We had a week off last week before we go to a four-week block before the PRC starts.

"You obviously get knocks, bumps and bruises all the time but generally we're in good shape.

"That will maybe change when full contact starts a bit more in earnest but we'll roll with that and hopefully keep guys as fit as possible."

The Premiership Rugby Cup campaign is set to see the whole squad utilised.

So could that mean talented young stars such as Henry Pollock and Toby Cousins could get game time, and will they be considered for loan deals when the league action begins?

"We'll definitely use loan clubs," Dowson said.

"We've obviously got a great relationship with Bedford and whether or not they (players like Pollock and Cousins) going to be ready to play in the Championship, we'll make those decisions later in pre-season.

"We've got a great relationship with Cambridge, Rugby Lions, coaches from Hinkley and Leicester Lions have been here so we've got places where players can get game time and we think that's very important for us."