Dowson set for 'tough decisions' as Saints bid to get team selections right

But the black, green and gold boss insists the Gallagher Premiership is now top of the agenda as Saints seek to set the record straight following a stuttering title defence.

Dowson's men are currently eighth in the standings and have lost all six of their away Premiership matches so far this season.

They travel to bottom side Newcastle Falcons on Friday night aiming to end that league losing streak on the road.

And when asked how he will approach team selection, considering there is just a six-day turnaround after last season's Champions Cup quarter-final win against Castres, Dowson said: “We're going to have to make sure we manage that because we're still not happy at all with where we are in the league and we want to make sure our performances are so much better.

“We're going to have to balance that up and make some tough decisions.

“There's nothing else we can do other than pick a group that are going to represent us at Newcastle, do the same against Bristol and then get ready for Leinster.

“We want to continue to play well, regardless of who's playing for us.”

Saints have now reached back-to-back Champions Cup semi-finals, travelling to face Leinster in Dublin in both of them.

It is a special achievement for the club to have made it this far on two occasions, especially when you consider they had lost 10 successive Champions Cup matches before last season's European campaign started.

“We're excited about it (the Champions Cup),” Dowson said.

“I've talked a lot about how the club, the playing group and the staff enjoy Europe as a challenge.

“It's given us some pretty special experiences and we're all set for another one.

“It's a top tournament and one the club, in its history and heritage, has got a good record in.

“We wanted to enjoy those opportunities, put our best foot forward and challenge the best sides in the world so it's nice to be able to be around for the next one.”

Dowson was able to welcome George Furbank back last weekend, with the Saints skipper making his first appearance since suffering a broken arm in December.

Furbank produced a superb showing on his return, with one of the highlights coming in the first half as he combined superbly with Tommy Freeman for a spectacular try.

It was reminiscent of the combination between Chris Ashton and Ben Foden, two men Dowson played alongside for Saints .

“A little bit,” Dowson said.

“I was impressed with Furbs coming back in and being as good as he was, being such a skilled and smooth operator at the back there.

“His connection with Freemo, that try there was excellent and it's exactly what we were hoping to see.

“It comes from them spending a huge amount of time together, playing together, training together, talking to each other, being mates - that's the whole point of those team dynamics.”