Dowson not getting carried away after Saints hit the Premiership summit

Dowson's men came back from 14-0 and 17-7 down to defeat Sale Sharks 21-17 at a sold-out cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens on Saturday afternoon.

It was Saints' sixth successive win in all competitions and moved them to the top of the table, though Bath could leapfrog them if they win at Leicester Tigers on Sunday.

But Dowson is reading little into his side’s league position.

"It feels irrelevant currently because we're only halfway through the season and we've got loads and loads of games between now and the end of the season," he said.

"We've got to understand where these performances are coming from, what is the strength of this group, what are the things we're still grappling with and how we get better.

"It's great to be in that position but at the same time it's irrelevant.

"We're not celebrating being top of the league but we are going to enjoy our wins.

"We've got a new year's eve party tonight so we'll have a few drinks and enjoy being in each other's company because we're a very tight group.

"We want to make sure we celebrate these victories without getting carried away and making sure we've got one eye on the long road trip down to Exeter next Saturday."

Saints had been left frustrated by some determined Sale defending for long periods during the game at the Gardens, but they found a way to fight back.

Second-half scores from George Furbank and Alex Mitchell kept them in touch before a penalty try secured a precious win.

"We did some decent stuff in the second half," Dowson said. "We drove the pace and got a bit more of our game on the pitch.

"Sale are a good side, they shut us down in the first half and we didn't convert any of our pressure in that first half.

"They had one opportunity and they did score it, which put them in the ascendancy at half-time.

"Fair play to the squad for really turning it on in the last 20 minutes.

"We said at half-time that it was absolutely okay and it was nothing we hadn't practiced and we did lots of good things.

"We weren't upset in any way as a coaching group, we just knew we had a bit more and against good groups you sometimes have to wear them down and figure out where the space is. In the second half, Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell and George Furbank did that.

"We tried to play a bit quicker in the second half and be more optimistic in terms of how we wanted to play."

Saints were able to bring on the likes of Curtis Langdon and Courtney Lawes during the second half.

And Dowson said: "The whole bench had an impact. They don't have an impact in doing anything out of the ordinary or anything different - they just have to bring energy, and they did that.

"They drove us a bit more, increased the speed and to have someone like Curtis (Langdon) who wants to get stuck in, who has an edge, who is desperate to play, that is tangible and it really resonates throughout the squad."