Leicester Tigers fly-half Matt Cornwell believes the LV= Cup game at Saracens will hugely benefit the club's younger players.
The 27-year-old, who returned to Leicester this summer from Italian side Mogliano, speaks from experience.
Tigers endured a tough first half at Bedford's Goldington Road ground and went into the break 27-0 down.
But they won the second period 21-11 and, while that may have been too little, too late to make a difference to the result, Cornwell says it showed the levels of character and ability within the group,
"I remember being one of those players and looking for your opportunity to kick on in your development," he said.
"It says a lot for the guys that they kept going and that is the mould of a Leicester Tigers player.
"That is what is bred into you as soon as you come into the Elite Player Development Group (EPDG) at 13 or 14, or the Academy at 16 to 17.
"That comes with wearing the Tigers shirt and being associated with one of the best clubs in the world. The boys showed that today.
"We were gutted to lose the game, and to make those errors that gave Sarries a couple of soft scores just before half-time, but the players didn't stop when they were down on the scoreboard.
"They kept working and will all learn from the game, from how they played, how they conducted themselves in key parts of the game, how they got back into it and how they kept going in the second half."
Director of rugby Richard Cockerill gave game time to the likes of lock Joe Cain, hooker Harry Thacker and wingers Alex Lewington and Henry Purdy – all young men with bright futures ahead of them.
Some of those players could get another crack at first-team rugby when London Irish visitWelford Road on Sunday in the next round of the competition.
"There is a step-up in level and intensity in first-team rugby and those young players will learn a lot from it," said Cornwell.
"Some of those guys are not even 20 yet and playing against a good Saracens side, with some good experience on the bench and in the squad.
"All those guys have got to learn from this to progress in their Tigers careers."
