Saints coach Dowson getting daily reminders of the real world

Highly-paid footballers are often targeted with that allegation no matter whether it is well founded or not.

But it is certainly not the case for Saints forwards coach Phil Dowson, especially during these troubling times.

Dowson, like every member of the Saints playing and coaching staff is currently at home as the Covid-19 crisis continues.

But that doesn’t mean he is lacking a grip of what is going on outside.

In fact, he gets the starkest daily reminder from his wife, Dani, who is a respiratory physio in the NHS.

“She’s helping them to get set up for when the big push comes so she’ll be out and about working,” Dowson said.

“The schools have closed an I’m becoming daddy day care, trying to entertain an 18-month old little girl for 18 hours a day - and it’s very similar to looking after Paul Hill actually!

“My wife has already treated a couple of patients at Kettering General Hospital and they’re putting an extraordinary amount of planning in so they can cope with whatever happens. It’s really interesting and it puts things into perspective at home.

“In the past, when lineouts haven’t been going so well I’ve had a bit of a moan and she’s put me back in my place with some stories from work.

“At this time, it’s amazing the work the NHS are doing and I’m just trying to support.

“I’m not panic buying but I’m making sure there’s enough food in the fridge and there’s a meal in the evening so she can stay as healthy as possible.”

Dowson, too, is trying to stay healthy, and that is what he also expects of the Saints players during their time away from Franklin’s Gardens.

He said: “As it stands, there’s still a game against Exeter in five or six weeks’ time even though things change almost by the hour at the moment so they do need to keep a degree of fitness.

“Another thing, which I was speaking to Tom Wood about, was helping the community around us.

“The lads are top men and very responsible so you’d like to think they’re going out helping people who might be in isolation, looking after their families and potentially doing food drops and all that kind of stuff where the community comes together.”

The Saints players have been sent away with gym equipment to enable them to stay in shape or improve aspects of themselves.

And Dowson said: “They’ve been sent home with some equipment, which was sent for a deep clean.

“The guys who need to lose a few pounds will be on watt bikes, rowers or whatever else they can fit in their house and the guys who need to put a bit of meat on take some weights home and stick them in the garage.

“It’s about coping as best you can so if there are games coming up there’s an element of fitness and conditioning still moving around.”

While physical health and fitness is clearly important at this time, the mental side of things is also vital.

With players so used to being part of a pack, being in self-isolation will be a huge shift from their normal routine.

“With technology you can do that (keep in touch with their mental health) quite easily from afar but it comes down to the whole of society and keeping an eye on that with people who are isolated and maybe spending a lot of time on their own, locked up in their houses without being able to get much exercise or fresh air,” Dowson said.

“We definitely want to make sure the lads are in good spirits and it’s a time to look after each other.”