Match reaction: Dai Young post European Semi Final

Director of Rugby Dai Young was obviously disappointed after the defeat to Saracens in the European Semi Final, but the coach’s overwhelming emotion was pride in his players and appreciation of Wasps fans' support.

“I’m really proud of this group, we have come out of the group of death, edged Exeter out and pushed Saracens all the way today. This is the stage of competitions we want to be in. We haven’t been here for a long time. I’ve said to the boys to pull our heads up and push our chests out. We didn’t quite have enough today, but the players have done the club proud.
“Of course I’m disappointed, especially for the players, but I think in fairness Saracens deserved it. We really struggled to get our game going due to their intensity and defence, but I think you have seen our spirit again here today. When things seemed to get away from us, we found a way to keep on pushing till the end.
Young was also blown away by the support from Wasps’ supporters today.  
“On behalf of the rugby department, I’d like to say a big thank you to our supporters. They were outstanding again today. To drive up to the stadium and see that many Wasps fans, waving their flags and cheering, was incredible. It was like an international welcome and we can’t thank them enough. It’s sad we couldn’t get the result we wanted today but it was a special day and I’m sure fans and players loved being back at this level, where we want to play, being part of it all.
“Overall, Sarries probably had a bit more experience at this level and you could see that today, but these are great days to learn from and hopefully will stand us in good stead for the rest of the season and Aviva Premiership campaign.”
Young was keen to point out that there is still a lot to play for this season. 
“From our point of view we were disappointed with today, but we have a long way to go this season and we have another shot at a title to come. We’ve got to dust ourselves off now and it’s a real sobering thought that we’ve got a trip to Sandy Park next week.
“The boys need a night off tonight because they deserve it. I will try and get their jaws off the floor because, as you can imagine they are really disappointed, but I couldn’t be prouder of this group. Nobody gave us a chance to get out of the pool, let alone reach the Semi Final. We didn’t quite play the way we would have liked to, but we live to fight another day.”