Joe Maksymiw says he is proud of the effort of a youthful Tigers’ Development XV despite defeat to Newcastle Falcons in the Premiership Rugby 'A' League on Monday.

With Tigers also preparing for the Under-18 Academy Finals Day on Sunday and with six players at the Under-20s Six Nations, there was an opportunity for a number of Loughborough University players as part of the relationship with the club.

Tigers went down to a 33-10 defeat at Loughborough University, but Maksymiw said the effort was obvious for the full 80 minutes.

"If you look at the amount of Premiership Rugby caps they had versus the amount we had, I think the boys really put in a good effort," he said.

"It was a bit of a scratch side and we hadn’t had much time together. We struggled a bit at the set-piece, which is an area of the game you need to practise given how detailed it is.

"But I thought the effort was there from everybody but probably not the accuracy required.

"It was tiring but really good to be back on the pitch. Above all, it felt good being back out there with the boys."