While disappointed in defeat, Northampton Saints centre Tom Litchfield was able to reflect on the bigger picture of the club’s PREM Cup campaign that ended at the semi-final stage.
The tantalising prospect of a final was what dangled in front of the men in Black, Green and Gold when they made the long journey down to Devon to take on Exeter Chiefs.
Sadly it was the hosts who would progress to the competition’s showpiece event as they claimed a 31-14 victory at Sandy Park on Sunday.
"It was very frustrating and it just felt like we were second best in every area really,” reflected Litchfield, who was one of Saints’ two tryscorers alongside Charlie Ulcoq.
“There wasn’t a whole bunch of energy or bounce to us so it was difficult to get going.
“In the first five or 10 minutes, we want to get out of the blocks and put our best foot forward, but we didn’t do that, Exeter did, and it was an uphill battle from there. It was a tough afternoon.”
Nearly 20 players played their first senior Northampton Saints minutes across the nine games played in the PREM Cup this season, ranging from 17-year-old school boy Jack Lewis to 50-cap Italy international Danilo Fischetti.
The competition has also allowed the likes of George Furbank, Ollie Sleightholme and, most recently, Curtis Langdon, to return to action away from the pressure cooker of Gallagher PREM and Investec Champions Cup fixtures.
Litchfield himself saw an injury lay-off end during the Cup campaign, he said: “I had my first game back against Quins a few weeks ago so it’s been nice to get some more minutes under the belt.
"Hopefully it’s stood me in good stead to get back in the PREM team.
“Overall, it (PREM Rugby Cup campaign) has been very promising, lots of new faces for the fans to see and lots of talent on show. It’s been a successful campaign for us, but it’s still a bit bitter that we’re not getting to the final.
“We’ve got a weekend off now, and then we’re straight back into it against Newcastle so we want to hit the ground running in the PREM and solidify our position in the top four.”