'They've been brilliant' - Saints boss Dowson impressed with Section Paloise

And he knows his Saints side will have their hands full when they go to Stade du Hameau on Sunday (kick-off 1pm UK time).

Section Paloise have won all six of their home matches in this season's French Top 14 and they even bagged a win away to Union Bordeaux Bègles a couple of weeks ago.

It means they sit second in the standings and they will be buoyant having racked up eight tries in a 53-33 win against La Rochelle at home last Sunday.

"They've been brilliant," Saints boss Dowson said.

"Obviously they've got some big scalps because they've beaten Bordeaux, they've beaten Toulouse, they put 50 on La Rochelle last weekend, albeit with a red card, so they've been outstanding – really, really good.

"They're really well coached, they've got some really good individuals, a lot of heart, and in a heartland of French rugby it's an exciting challenge for us."

So what can Saints expect to face on Sunday?

Dowson explained: "The usual French element of the set piece is a huge factor, but they've got the ability to get the ball back off high kicks, they've got a varied kicking game, an ability to counter-attack, they want to go fast, they've actually got a lot more shape than a lot of French sides in terms of how they organise, they've got a nine who attacks the fringes particularly well and brings the forward runners on to you.

"Once they get on top of you, they're typically French and it's hard to stop momentum.

"I've been really impressed with them, really enjoyed watching them actually, there's been some excellent rugby and we've got our hands full, clearly."

Saints, who were runners-up in last season's Champions Cup, have been handed a tough draw as they must travel to Section Paloise and holders Bordeaux in the pool stages.

"It is what it is," Dowson said.

"I said to the group that Pau are second in the table and that's who you want to be playing against. You want to match yourself up against the best teams in the world and you want to make sure you're ready for those challenges, to find out where we are as a group, and they're the tests we're yearning for.

"Seeing a different part of the world, Pau's first opportunity in the Champions Cup as well, makes it very exciting and I'm sure the crowd will reflect that."

Dowson steered Saints to the semi-finals in the Champions Cup in 2024 and to the final this year.

And when asked how proud he is of his side's recent record in the competition, he said: "Immensely proud.

"We've beaten Toulon here, Glasgow away, Munster away in the rain down to 14, there have been some fantastic performances and they've given us a real foothold and a sense of what we're capable of."

Saints go into the game in France on the back of a brutal return to Gallagher PREM action last Saturday.

The black, green and gold were beaten 46-12 by Bristol Bears at Ashton Gate.

And when asked what the mood has been like at cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens this week, Dowson said: "Fundamentally, day one we were a bit frustrated and a bit sour around our performance against Bristol because we just weren't at it, particularly in the first half, and we let a very good Bristol side take complete charge of that game.

"I was very surprised because I thought the group we put out there was very capable, but we went down to 14 men (when Edoardo Todaro was shown a 20-minute red card little more than a minute into the match) and just didn't do any of things we needed to do to slow Bristol down and get our own game on the pitch.

"It was hugely disappointing but we take the lessons from that, we understand it sometimes happens in professional sport and we make sure we learn from that and respond accordingly. We've got a great week to get stuck into that."