Time away will be so helpful for Saints prop Hobbs-Awoyemi

And he believes that scenario will be a big help for Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi during the prop’s second coming at Saints.

Hobbs-Awoyemi exited Northampton, where he had emerged from the Academy, in 2016 in search of some regular game time.

He had been forced to sit behind the likes of Alex Corbisiero and the Waller brothers at Saints and minutes on the pitch proved to be in short supply.

In fact, Hobbs-Awoyemi, a Junior World Championship winner with England Under-20s, only managed to make four appearances for the first team, all from the bench.

He headed to London Irish in the bid to turn from boy to man, and he has now returned four years later having done exactly that.

There are high hopes that the 26-year-old can make the impression at Saints that he always hoped to.

And Dowson, who left Saints for Worcester as a player before finally returning to Franklin’s Gardens as a coach, was asked about Hobbs-Awoyemi’s comeback.

And he said: “What a legend - he’s a top man!

“I’d seen Danny around because he and his family were still in Northampton so I saw him around and about and asked him how he was doing at Irish.

“(Saints scrum coach) Matt Ferguson coached him at Irish as well and talked very highly of him as well so it was brilliant to get him back.

“It’s good for him to have been away in terms of seeing a different environment and understanding different ways of doing things and professionalism.

“Getting out of Northampton and coming back - from my experience of Worcester - is really healthy.

“He’s hit the ground running since he’s been back, he’s got good skills, he’s working hard and he’s playing for his home club so he’s pretty fired up.

Dowson was a key member of the first team during Hobbs-Awoyemi’s first spell at Saints.

So how much does he remember about the prop from that era?

“I do remember him really well and I remember how talented he is,” Dowson said.

“I’ve also got a cracking photo of him on a team social, which I haven’t yet brought out, but when the time’s right I might show it to the boys.”

In a recent interview with this publication, Scotland and former Saints prop Gordon Reid tipped Hobbs-Awoyemi to one day play for England’s senior team.

And Dowson said: “He played a couple of years for the England Under-20s and I spoke to Alan DIckens about him.

“When Alan was in his coaching role with the Academy, he rated him as one of the best he’d come across so he’s obviously got that talent and we want to ally that with some opportunity with us.”