Saints boss Dowson talks win at Saracens, key performers and injuries

The black, green and gold flew out of the blocks, completely bossing the opening 20 minutes of the match titled 'The Showdown VI'.

Saints moved into a 14-0 lead thanks to tries from Tom Litchfield and Archie McParland, and they could have even been further ahead, such was their dominance.

But Saracens eventually got back in the game, cutting the gap to seven points at the break thanks to a Tobias Elliott try.

The home side then gained a semblance of control and moved in front thanks to a converted Theo Dan try and a Fergus Burke penalty.

But Saints, who had lost Manny Iyogun, Fin Smith and Trevor Davison to injury during the game, stuck at it and conjured up a stirring conclusion, with Litchfield setting up McParland for the winning score.

And Dowson said: "We played beautifully in the first 20 minutes and we just didn't convert enough of those chances.

"In the last 10 minutes we were excellent in terms of trusting our game, continuing to go forward and pulling the trigger to make the space.

"I wouldn't say it was an ugly win but it certainly wasn't as good as it can be."

Dowson added: "We didn't get through enough phases from an attack point of view and we created some really good opportunities we didn't convert, and fair play to Sarries because they put us under a lot of pressure, particularly at the set piece, so that meant we couldn't really get into our game very much.

"But I thought we defended stoically and we worked incredibly hard so we just about got through."

Losing Smith to concussion meant full-back George Furbank stepped in at 10, and he did so in typically excellent style.

"Obviously that's disruptive but we know Furbs has played there a lot and we know Hutch (Rory Hutchinson) has played there as well," Dowson said.

"It was very disappointing to lose Fin, but he's okay, and we know Furbs can step into that position as well."

Davison had to be helped from the field during the second half.

And Dowson said: “Trevor Davison looked pretty bad with an ankle/knee.

"He’s being fairly stoic in not saying much about it, but obviously we’ll scan it and see how he is.

"Obviously he’d be a huge loss because of the impact he has on our squad.”

Centre Litchfield certainly stepped up with a superb showing for Saints.

"Litch, in the last few weeks, has been playing some of the best rugby of his life," Dowson said.

"He looks very confident, he looks very powerful and he's been a handful.

"He's created something there out of nothing (for McParland’s winning try) and the offload is fairly audacious as well."

Back row forward Tom Pearson produced another huge performance, earning him the man of the match award.

And Dowson said: "He's having a very, very good season and statistically he's one of the best in the league.

"The thing that's really marked to me is his set piece work, the work he does in the lineout and the improvement he's made there with James Craig.

"I'm incredibly proud of his performance today and how he's been playing all year."

McParland produced another mature performance in the absence of injured England scrum-half Alex Mitchell.

“Archie is incredibly driven,” Dowson said. “He pushes himself incredibly hard, he’s one of the most conscientious and professional people here. I’m loving the fact that a lot of that hard work is coming to fruition in the game.

“I think that is the name of the game: creating that strength in depth, making sure you have a lot of guys that can step in whether it is through injury or fatigue. That is what we are going to have to do in rotating the squad to make sure we manage bodies and people.

“Our model is built around developing people and trying to make them better. (Head coach) Sam Vesty is incredibly good at that, and we see the fruits of that labour frequently. Archie is definitely one of those guys.”