Northampton boss Phil Dowson was left to reflect on an eighth-placed finish in the Premiership.
He said: “We wanted to make a decent defence of our title but it wasn’t to be and it has been frustrating.
"We found it hard to replace the experience we lost in the forwards at the end of last season and we’ve been badly affected by injuries and international call-ups.
“Today, with an incredibly young side including Henry Lumley who is the youngest player to make his debut in the Premiership, we played with a lot of character.
“There are lessons to learn as we didn’t make it hard enough for the...