'Prem final is a coin toss' - Saints boss Dowson

Northampton Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson has praised his side for clinching top spot in the Prem and said the final is a "coin toss" if they make it.

Saints' last-gasp 36-32 victory over Gloucester secured home advantage in the upcoming Prem semi-finals as well as first place in the table following Bath's narrow defeat at Bristol on Friday.

Having finished a disappointing eighth last season and missing out on the play-offs, this campaign has proved to be a triumphant return to form for Saints, who won the title in 2024.

"What we set out to try and achieve at the start of the season was to get into the top four, and ideally in the top two, because that statistically gives you the best chance of getting into the final - and the final is a coin toss," Dowson told BBC Radio Northampton.

"To do that with a game to spare, in such a competitive league, I think speaks volumes about this group.

"The biggest take home this season was how consistent we've been, regardless of who is playing."

In the lead up to winning the competition in 2024, Saints were in a similar position to where they find themselves now - top of the standings with a round of fixtures still remaining.

On the final weekend of that season, Dowson decided to rotate his starting XV - making 13 changes from the team that thrashed Gloucester 90-0 seven days prior - and they succumbed to a 43-12 defeat by Bath at The Rec.

Dowson believes that Saturday's match at Harlequins [15:15 BST] will be another opportunity to rest a number of regular starters while handing starts to members of the squad with less minutes under their belts before the post-season shake-up.

"We've got to make sure we balance that up and keep the momentum through Quins, but also look after the guys that are highly minuted and make sure they're good for a Friday night. It's a short turnaround, so we've got to bear that in mind," he said.

"We've got to make sure that we get the intensity right for the players that need it, and we need to take the intensity away from the players we think need that."

Dowson continued: "When you get to this point of this season, the top four, five teams are all very good. Whoever you're playing [in the semi-finals], we know there will be different challenges, and understand that it's going to be very tough."