Dowson worried by Saints' 'Jekyll & Hyde' display

Phil Dowson was appointed as Northampton's director of rugby in January 2022

Northampton Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson has challenged his side to eliminate a "Jekyll and Hyde" tendency in order to improve on last season.

Saints drew 33-33 with Exeter Chiefs in their opening game of the new Prem campaign, failing to put a single point on the board after the break, having led 33-7.

They return to action away to Gloucester on Sunday and will be without Trevor Davison, Craig Wright and Sam Graham because of head knocks.

"It's more of a mindset issue, which is always difficult to define and rectify immediately," Dowson told BBC Radio Northampton.

"The messages at half-time were to make sure we continued in the same vein and kept our foot down, but what transpired was for us to continually knock the ball on, not look after the ball in contact, over and over again, and it fed their [Exeter's] belief.

"Whether it's us trying to protect a lead or us overplaying, it's dependent on the individual and their mindset - we've been trying to dig down into that because it's quite nuanced."

Northampton finished eighth in the table last season after winning the title 12 months earlier and it was their inability to pick up points on the road which cost them dear.

Dowson ruled out any possibility of the game against Exeter being written of as 'just one of those days', adding: "We don't write it off because it tells us something about the group.

"The game doesn't lie and we're not just going to ignore it. That was the Jekyll and Hyde of last year in a nutshell.

"When we're 'at it', we're a handful and can take anybody on, and when we're not, this league is too strong and too competitive to rest on your laurels and fumble your way through a half. It's a wake-up call and it's taken as such."

This weekend's opponents Gloucester lost 27-10 at Sale in their opening game last Thursday but Dowson knows the threats they pose.

"They've changed the way they play, they're much more expansive," said Dowson.

"They still have that pack that are keen to trample their way on top of you and some great players in there, but they also have some high quality outside and they're a good team to watch."