Dowson rose to international prominence during the 2009-10 season and was handed his first senior start in England's non-Test clash against the New Zealand Maori in June 2010 having been called up from the England Saxons squad contesting that year's Churchill Cup.

His selection capped an outstanding year where his consistent excellence helped Northampton secure the Anglo-Welsh Cup crown and also saw him shortlisted for both the Guinness Premiership Player of the Season and RPA Players' Player of the Season.

He captained the Saxons to the 2007 Churchill Cup crown and made a record breaking thirteenth appearance for the Saxons in the 31-5 win over Italy A at Treviso in early February 2010. His first Saxons appearance was in 2005 - the same year he featured for England at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Hong Kong.

His early days were as a mini at Wigton, a Cumbrian club, but his schooldays at Sedbergh shaped his rugby future and selection for the England School side pointed to his potential. He joined the Falcons' Academy in 2001-02 and was a stalwart for the Premiership club, featuring in their 2004 Powergen Cup victory, until opting for a switch to Northampton ahead of the 2009-10 season.

Dowson's game went to another level at Franklin's Gardens and he played an integral role in the club's emergence as one of the most exciting sides in European rugby. However, full England honours continued to allude him and he again had to make do with a place in the Saxons squad for the 2011 clashes with Italy 'A' and the Irish Wolfhounds. However, his importance to Northampton was underlined on January 13,2011, when he put pen to paper on a new contract with the Saints.

Dowson remained a key player in their journey to the Heineken Cup final but missed out on selection for the 2011 World Cup squad. But after starting the current campaign in a rich vein of form, Dowson took his place in the 2012 EPS.

And ahead of the first match of the tournament, Dowson was named at No.8 for the Calcutta Cup clash with Scotland. Earning his first England cap, Dowson lined up alongside Chris Robshaw and Tom Croft in the back-row and helped them towards their win over their Auld Enemies.

Dowson kept his spot in the backrow for the following match against Italy but was forced to be content with a place among the replacements for the final three matches of the tournament. Dowson was used as a substitute on each occasion and currently has five England caps to his name.