'Very dangerous outfit' - Dowson's Saints set for tricky trip to Gloucester
Boss Phil Dowson knows Saints will face a 'very entertaining’ and ‘very dangerous' Gloucester side at Kingsholm on Sunday afternoon (kick-off 3pm).
It will be the first away game of the new Gallagher PREM campaign for the black, green and gold, who shipped 26 unanswered second-half points to draw 33-33 with Exeter Chiefs last Sunday.
And Dowson knows Saints, who won just one league game on the road last season, will have their work cut out to beat a Cherry and Whites outfit who have become one of the league's most expansive outfits in recent times.
"I like (Gloucester boss) George Skivington," Dowson said. "I think he's a very shrewd operator and the work they did last season in expanding their game has made them a very dangerous outfit because traditionally their forward pack has been very dangerous at scrum and maul but now they've got a backline that will threaten across the pitch.
"They're a very entertaining side to watch and a very dangerous side to try to defend."
Dowson took to the field at Kingsholm many times as a player, and it's a stadium he enjoys visiting.
He said: "A bit like the Saints, the Gloucester rugby team is a real focal point for that city.
"It's got a huge amount of history and heritage and it's one of the very best places to play in the league.
"I always enjoy going there. I always enjoy the atmosphere and the animosity and The Shed - and they're things that should be enjoyed and should be relished."
Saints’ most recent game at Kingsholm was a strange affair as it came just a week after the black, green and gold had been beaten in last season’s Investec Champions Cup final.
The May 31 clash with Gloucester was the final match of the regular season, and a heavily rotated Saints team was beaten 41-26.
"We took a huge amount from that because for large parts of that we were very competitive," Dowson said.
"I appreciate the result wasn't what we wanted but it showed what we're capable of and it showed what some of those young fellas are capable of as well without becoming overawed by the occasion.
"They really stuck at it and went for it - and that's what we're trying to imbed within our group.
"It's always beneficial and down at Exeter last season it was beneficial as well, for those guys to get Premiership experience, so we lean on that every week."