While several Saints players have travelled to senior and youth international duty, the majority of the squad are now back in training in preparation for their first pre-season match against Leinster on September 7.
“The goal of preseason is not to get fit, it’s to build skills,” Dawson said.
“We give the players three weeks to do what they want, eat what they want. We want them to have a good time away from Northampton and away from rugby.
“Then, when they come back, they go through a two-week program of movement practice and weight training to get them ready to train right away.
“This pre-season is much shorter than last season. Last year, the pre-season was very long because of the World Cup.
“We have to make the most of the time we have to work on the things we want to improve in our game, and make sure all the new players are integrated and understand the Saints DNA and what we’re trying to do.”
