Northampton Saints hopes documentary will bring new fans

Saints fly-half Fin Smith said Amazon's Mud, Sweat, and Tears: Premiership Rugby is good for the club

A Premiership Rugby club in a new fly-on-the-wall documentary believes it will bring new fans to the sport.

Northampton Saints feature alongside last season's other semi-finalist Leicester Tigers, runners-up Sale Sharks and champions Saracens.

It is hoped the documentary will have a similar affect to Formula One programme Drive To Survive.

Saints director of rugby, Phil Dowson, said the sport "needs to get people interested in it".

The two-episode series called Mud, Sweat, and Tears: Premiership Rugby is on streaming service Amazon Prime.

Netflix's Drive To Survive has been credited with bringing a new, younger, audience to the sport and helping grow its popularity, especially in the US.

Phil Dowson said Rugby Union needed to attract new fans

Dowson said the new show was "trying to get people interested in the sport".

"People are interested by storylines and friction, in the narrative, in the characters [at the clubs], you have to create some of that, you just got to make sure you do it in a way with some subtlety," he said.

'Exceptional character'

The 41-year-old hopes those viewers new to the sport will then become rugby fans.

"We want people to buy a ticket and come down and shout for the Saints and have a good time and that'll be really positive," he said.

Fly-half Fin Smith said the show could change the perception of rugby clubs and players.

"There's a lot of clichés that come from rugby and I think it's probably not a fair reflection of what rugby dressing rooms are like," he said.

Northampton Saints captain Lewis Ludlam is with the England squad at the Rugby World Cup

The 21-year-old said people such as Dowson, kit man Kev Buckby and the club captain Lewis Ludlam, stand out in the documentary.

Smith added: "The club comes across really well, I think the town comes across really well [as does] Lewis Ludlam.

"I'm sure people will agree when they watch it, it just shows what an exceptional character he is and what a great captain he is.

"It's cool that so many different characters and personalities from the club have been allowed to show what they've got."