Kemeny so keen to 'go again' after spirited Saints' 'slow death' at Harlequins

The black, green and gold led from the 12th minute to the 76th minute at the Twickenham Stoop, but they could never quite kill Quins off.

And that came back to haunt them as Cassius Cleaves popped up to score the winning try with four minutes to play.

Kemeny, who was skipper for the night, said: "All the guys that went 80 minutes and the guys that came off the bench and showed a lot of intent and energy, and you can't knock the effort.

"It was just that little top two per cent that we didn't get there in the end.

"It was a bit of a slow death.

"It was a bit wet and sloppy out there, it was physical and it was an enjoyable game.

"Execution and consistency - those are the words that get thrown around, and if you do that in the first half of a game of rugby, it makes the second half easier. We could have been better there.

"It's different to a Prem Cup game - it's got more sting, it's tougher, it's harder and it will hopefully bring a lot of development to those young boys and everyone out there.

"It's invaluable."

Saints will now head back into the Premiership Rugby Cup and could opt to rest some of their senior stars for the trip to Leicester Tigers next Saturday.

But Kemeny isn't keen to take any time off.

"It was a privilege to have been able to lead the boys for a second time (on Friday night)," said the Australian flanker.

"With some younger guys and less experienced guys, it's always a challenge - and it was a challenge I was proud to have.

"We're now going into the PRC in the next few weeks so there's no time to dwell on it, it's time to learn from it and get going again.

"Get me going, I'll go again next week!"