Phil Dowson hoping for Northampton Saints upturn after win over Bulls

With a maximum of 10 points from their opening two Champions Cup fixtures, Northampton are in a very strong position to reach the knockout stages ahead of a trip to to Stade Francais and a home game with Munster in January.

But before then, they have a chance to get their domestic form up and running, with Premiership games against Saracens, Newcastle Falcons and Bath.

Having lost three of their past four in that competition, they have slipped down the table, 10 points below the top-four spots.

However, conquering Bulls at altitude will boost confidence.

“When you come to these tough environments, you find out a lot about yourselves,” said Dowson.

“We answered a lot of questions in terms of how we approach those challenges. We met them head-on and put in a performance that will hopefully push us on for the rest of the season.”