Leicester Tigers will come back in the summer and "redouble their efforts" in 2014/15 following the disappointment of Aviva Premiership semi-final defeat this season.
Chasing a place in the Premiership Final for a 10th successive year, Tigers lost 21-20 at neighbours Northampton Saints in the semi-final on Friday evening after a 79th-minute try from Tom Wood.
It meant missing out on a place in the Final for the first time since 2004, but director of rugby Richard Cockerill vowed “we’ll be back”.
“We’re bitterly disappointed,” said Cockerill. “It could have gone either way and we’re just on the wrong side of it in the end. We were very close. They played some good stuff, we played some good stuff at times.
“It hurts to lose, but sometimes you get beaten, that’s sport. We’ll lick our wounds, plan our summer and come back next year.
“We have a great core of young guys leading the side. Next year we want everyone fit and we’ll have a few new bodies in and redouble our efforts. The guys we are missing – Cole, Croft, Parling, Allen – there are plenty of them who will come back in, and there are a few new players coming in.
“We had a tough pool in Europe and got out of it to reach the Heineken Cup quarter-finals and we did well to get to this point in the league, but we had to win it here.
“I’ve no complaints, Saints win, that’s life sometimes. We’re the Leicester Tigers, we’ll be back.
“We didn’t earn the right to be at home in the semi-final, we’ve gone away and lost by one point against a good side. They win, we lose, sometimes you just accept defeat and unfortunately we have to do that this time.
“The hunger has not left us, but sometimes you need reminding what it is all about. You suck it up and go again.
“You take the plaudits when it goes well, you have to take the hurt when you lose. Saracens lost two semi-finals in the last two years and they’ve come back this year. Now we know what it feels like.”
Chasing a place in the Premiership Final for a 10th successive year, Tigers lost 21-20 at neighbours Northampton Saints in the semi-final on Friday evening after a 79th-minute try from Tom Wood.
It meant missing out on a place in the Final for the first time since 2004, but director of rugby Richard Cockerill vowed “we’ll be back”.
“We’re bitterly disappointed,” said Cockerill. “It could have gone either way and we’re just on the wrong side of it in the end. We were very close. They played some good stuff, we played some good stuff at times.
“It hurts to lose, but sometimes you get beaten, that’s sport. We’ll lick our wounds, plan our summer and come back next year.
“We have a great core of young guys leading the side. Next year we want everyone fit and we’ll have a few new bodies in and redouble our efforts. The guys we are missing – Cole, Croft, Parling, Allen – there are plenty of them who will come back in, and there are a few new players coming in.
“We had a tough pool in Europe and got out of it to reach the Heineken Cup quarter-finals and we did well to get to this point in the league, but we had to win it here.
“I’ve no complaints, Saints win, that’s life sometimes. We’re the Leicester Tigers, we’ll be back.
“We didn’t earn the right to be at home in the semi-final, we’ve gone away and lost by one point against a good side. They win, we lose, sometimes you just accept defeat and unfortunately we have to do that this time.
“The hunger has not left us, but sometimes you need reminding what it is all about. You suck it up and go again.
“You take the plaudits when it goes well, you have to take the hurt when you lose. Saracens lost two semi-finals in the last two years and they’ve come back this year. Now we know what it feels like.”
