Dowson expects Saints to come back stronger after 'quite a disappointing year'

The black, green and gold, who were without a whole host of senior players, bagged a try bonus point in a battling display on the final day at Gloucester.

Saints were beaten 41-26 but their heavily rotated squad put up a real fight against a Cherry and Whites team who eventually fell just short of a play-off place.

Dowson's men reached the Investec Champions Cup final during this campaign, but their league season never really got going as injuries and absences really hit them hard.

And after the defeat at Kingsholm, Dowson said: "It's been a long year, a very fractured year and, finishing eighth, it's been quite a disappointing year.

"I think we've learned a lot, we'll be better for it and we've got to come back swinging next season."

Saints could be proud of their final-day performance against Gloucester as they really went toe to toe with the home side, enjoying plenty of territory and possession.

And Dowson said: "It was the opportunity for the young players to show what they're capable of, the youngest ever Saint to start a game in the Premiership (Henry Lumley) and lots of players who wanted to put a marker down for next year and make a big statement.

"It's clearly not ideal because we wanted to come down here and really shock them and win the game, and we didn't get to that level, but we certainly got in amongst it and we were good value for it.

"They did stand up really well and though people said beforehand in the media we had nothing to play for, we had loads of things to play for: players leaving, coaches leaving, players in their first game, players coming back to Gloucester where they had been in the Academy and it hadn't worked out, so there was loads of emotion around it and we saw that.

"There are clearly things (to work on) from a quality point of view but we competed and we committed so hard.

"I was incredibly proud of the group and we've got a lot to work with there."