The 19-year-old was the outstanding player on the pitch against Castres and recently starred for England A. The Bulls away is another step up for the teenager but Dowson reckons he is ready for the challenge.
“He is an outstanding player and an outstanding character,” Dowson said.
“I was reticent at the start of the year to talk about him because he had come off the bench once in the Premiership.
“That is the first European game he has played and he is clearly very talented and driven. He is in an environment where he is being pushed to get better and players to aspire to.
“We are all excited about going to Pretoria next week but he should be particularly excited.”
Yesterday was the first time Saints have had Fin Smith and Alex Mitchell on the pitch at the same time all season and looked all the better for it.
Dowson added: “It helps when you have those guys. Mitch has played a lot of international rugby and learned some lessons, and some tough ones.
“His kicking game has come on a ton and his ability on the short side is different class. The more he plays the better he gets.”
READ MORE: Fin Smith and Alex Mitchell get back in the old routine
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