Saints better prepared for Prem title defence - Dowson

Northampton Saints are better prepared for this season's defence of their Prem Rugby title than the last time they were champions, according to director of rugby Phil Dowson.

Saints finished top of the table in 2025-2026, winning 14 of their 18 matches before beating Exeter 26-17 at Allianz Stadium to lift the trophy in June.

They had also won the title in 2024, but saw a host of top players leave the club including Courtney Lawes, Alex Waller, Lewis Ludlam and Alex Moon before finishing a lowly eighth the following season.

Dowson told the BBC Radio Northampton Saints Show: "The 2024-2025 season was probably the most frustrating I've had from a coaching point of view, because we had such a good quality group.

"You can see that from how we went in Europe (losing the Champions Cup final to Bordeaux) and we beat some some good teams, not just in the semi-final.

"We had really good capability but we didn't have the consitency. That's what 300 games plus of Alex Waller gives you.

"But in the same breath, those experiences those players had then undoubtedly had an impact last year in terms of that quality."

The club has once again seen a number of big names move on in the summer, including George Furbank, James Ramm, Sam Graham, Tom James and Elliot Millar Mills.

Amongst their new signings are international tight-head prop Ion Neculai and his Italian team-mate, wing Malik Faissal.

Meanwhile, senior players Tommy Freeman, Fin Smith, Fraser Dingwall and Alex Mitchell have all agreed new deals, with England team-mate Henry Pollock contracted for 2026-2027 at least.

"This time we've tried to keep hold of some of that experience, and we're hoping the guys we're bringing in will have a critical mass to make sure we can get back into those positions," said Dowson.

"That's also a time cost as well because you don't know quite how the evolution of the squad is going to go.

"So as a coaching group, a director of rugby, a playing group and with our sport psychologist Ollie Dixon, we're better prepared to learn those lessons from two years ago."

Northampton and England scum-half Mitchell has played a major role in helping the Saints win their past two Prem titles, and getting to the 2025 Champions Cup final.

He also admits they have learned from their previous title defence.

"When we won it in 2024 we just thought it was going to happen again, but you've got appreciate it's tough to win the Prem," said Mitchell.

"It's week-in, week-out and tough in the winter months.

"You've got to keep turning up and training hard, and I don't think we did that in 2025, but we came back in 2026. Hopefully we can go back-to-back this time.

"In 2025 we struggled with our away form, and we really went after that last year and that helped us. We know Franklin's Gardens is a fortress, but our away form is massive for us."

The last side to defend their Premiership title was Saracens in 2019, and Dowson accepts it presents a different set of challenges.

"Playing as favourite is totally different, and we've discussed that," the Saints director of rugby added.

"Every side that turns up at Franklin's Gardens will want to knock us off our pedestal.

"How do we deal with that? You don't have to be top of the table for the whole of the season, like last season more or less, to win the league.

"We might have a terrible start, have an awful Christmas, be out of the top four at the end of the Six Nations. That's not the end of the world. We've just got to keep sticking to our guns, and it'll work itself out."

Listen to this week's episode of the Saints show, and all episodes via BBC Sounds.