Saints boss Dowson: We've got guys who are desperate to come in and contribute

And he has challenged the team that takes to the field against Harlequins at Twickenham on Saturday to replicate the derby-day success of last weekend.

Saints could again look to rotate with the Investec Champions Cup clash with Leinster at Croke Park on the horizon.

Dowson showed confidence in the depth of his squad last weekend as he made seven alterations to the team that beat Vodacom Bulls on the previous Saturday.

The likes of Manny Iyogun, Courtney Lawes and Ollie Sleightholme were rested completely, but Saints still got the job done as they beat Leicester Tigers 40-17 at a sold-out cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens.

And Dowson said: "You have to be mindful of all of it in terms of minutes played, energy levels, the strength in depth.

"There's lots of lads in the squad who still didn't play last Saturday - I'm thinking of Angus Scott-Young, Chunya Munga, who are still absolutely desperate to show what they're about.

"We've got a really good group of people who are desperate and having the ability to bring in Robbie Smith, Tarek Haffar, all these guys, to show what they're about, that drives the energy through what is quite a monotonous part of the season.

"Throughout the season it's something we've talked about in terms of whether we can get to the end of the season and be in a relatively good position from an availability point of view.

"We wanted to get into a good position from a physical point of view in terms of knocks, bumps, bruises, bad backs, back spasms, all that sort of stuff.

"And also it's about the psychological point of view, giving guys the opportunity to get away from the club and freshen up before coming back in, which is what we tried to do last week.

"We've got guys who are desperate to come in and contribute."

Dowson was asked whether he considered the criticism that could have come his way had Saints lost to Tigers with a much-changed side.

But he said: "That's the risk and even if it hadn't have gone well, we still made the decision based on the information we had at the time.

"Courtney (Lawes) is a great example because he's one of the best players in the world and I asked him how he was feeling (before the Vodacom Bulls game). He told me he was banged up, he'd got through a back spasm during the week so I told him I'd give him some time the following week. He said 'oh, it's the derby' and I said 'it must be a big game if you're considering giving up some time off'.

"But then he played the Bulls game and he knows he needs that time off.

"I remember when I played - it's even worse now in terms of the intensity - and with four, five games on the bounce, boys need to have time off both from a physical and mental point of view.

"Six games on the bounce for anyone is a lot in terms of the punishment you take.

"And Courtney is 105, played millions of games so he needs it especially!"

Saints have now won 14 of their past 15 matches in all competitions, but they face a tough test against free-flowing Harlequins at Twickenham on Saturday.

"We've gone from Bristol, which was disappointing, Saracens, which was a super intense game, (Champions Cup) round of 16, quarter-finals, derby into Twickenham this week against Quins – and we know what their record is like there – so it's rolling into one after the other but it's where we want to be," Dowson said.

"It's a real positive because as a group of players, that's where you want to be.

"You want to play Munster home and away, they're one of the storied sides in European rugby.

"Likewise Quins at Twickenham. I think they've sold 50,000 tickets so, perfect, let's see who we are this week. Let's see if the lads who get the opportunity this week can represent the Saints in the same way as we got on Saturday."