Saints boss Dowson: Tigers will fast become a threat with Cheika in charge

Champions Saints go to Tigers on Saturday for what will be Cheika's first East Midlands derby.

Both teams have won two of their three Gallagher Premiership games this season.

And when asked whether he has already seen changes to Tigers since Cheika replaced Dan McKellar during the summer, Dowson said: "I think so.

"You see a side that on the first weekend have gone down to a very good Exeter side - although results haven't backed that up but it is a very good Exeter side - and they've scrapped to a win. They showed how emotionally engaged and how desperate and how committed they are to playing for the club. If you get those things, you can pretty much go and coach whatever you want to coach.

"With the experience that Michael Cheika has, they'll be very well prepared and they'll only get better throughout the season.

"With the quality of the players Leicester have, how committed they clearly are to what they're doing and with the coaching group they've got, they're going to very fast become a threat."

The only game Leicester have lost so far under Cheika came at Mattioli Woods Welford Road as Bath secured a 20-15 victory there late last month.

But Dowson was still impressed by what Leicester offered on that day.

"I thought they were excellent at set piece and put Bath under a lot of pressure," he said. "It was a nip and tuck game.

"That would have given them quite a lot of confidence as a group that has just come together with a different coaching staff.

"That will give them a real confidence, to have gone against one of the top sides in the league and to have showed what they are capable of."

But though Saints are well aware of how dangerous Tigers can be, Dowson said: "Fundamentally, preview is always around us.

"We know the threats Leicester have. We've watched them at Newcastle, we watched them play Bath at home and we understand where some core strengths are.

"We're making sure we're aware of those but that we're working on our game the whole time."

Dowson has been part of plenty of East Midlands derbies as a player and coach.

And he said: "You never get too used to them. They're always exciting and very, very challenging.

"You always learn a lot so I'm excited about it.

"It's one of those exciting weekends you look forward to and that the fans get behind.

"It's going to be a big challenge."