By PAUL REES

Phil Dowson has backed Tom Pearson to bounce back after winning his first England cap last week and then being left out of the World Cup squad.
The 23-year old flanker, who joined the Saints after London Irish collapsed, saw off the challenge of 2019 finalist Sam Underhill earlier in the summer but lost out to new club colleague Lewis Ludlam and Saracens’ Ben Earl after the 20-9 defeat to Wales in Cardiff.
“I have spoken to Tom,” said Dowson, Northampton’s director of rugby. “He has stayed in the England camp and continued to train with them. He’s very, very close from what I...