"I don't think we came into the game treating it as a write off. We had rested a few of the senior players and we came up with a young side."

"And they showed some true grit there and some good team spirit towards the end, I think we won the second half 14-12."

"We did have some harsh words at half time. But we just said that we had to stick at it. Welford Road is a tough place to come and a lot of these guys were playing for the first time for the first XV and a few others at Welford Road for the first time."

"We're disappointed with the loss, we never like losing but we're pleased with some of the individual performances."

Q. But now are you wondering whether you could have won that game if you'd put your strongest team out?

"I wouldn't say that. I think that Leicester probably took their foot off the gas a little bit in the second half. There were some areas we were poor in today - the set piece and individual tackling."

"But I was pleased with the youngsters who came through, Luke Eves, Iain Grieve and Ryan Prosser who came off the bench."

"That's a grounding for them and part of their development plan and will stand them in good stead for next year."

Q. Shaun Perry looked pretty sharp? At one point he was playing six, seven, eight and nine!

"He did cover a lot of ground today, he was really fired up for that one today. As I say, we didn't come here to lose. We just wanted to make a good game of it and see where we could be at the end of the game."

Q. Playing against Harry Ellis must have fired him up a bit?

"Yes, I think it's going to be a good duel when you get any of the England scrum halves coming up against each other. Shaun is quite an aggressive, competitive player and plays to win every time he takes the field. But it did add some spice today."

"Shaun has been out injured for a long time and has had only a few games back. So, he's fresh and available for England selection and, if he is selected, I'm sure he'll give his best."

Q. What will this game mean for the younger players who played today?

"For them, it's all about getting game time. This was Luke Eves' first start and he played 80 minutes for the first team and that's a great grounding for him."

"Next year, the likes of Luke and Iain Grieve will be first team players. They won't be Academy players any more and this will stand them in good stead."

"The development plan for these players is going well and they'll be a good addition to our squad next year. That's what the Academy is all about."