Stuart Lancaster was philosophical after seeing his side condemned to relegation following a 39-16 defeat to Gloucester at Kingsholm.
Leeds Carnegie will return to National Division One next season but Lancaster says the club will be stronger for the experience. "We will be in a stronger position next season than we have been this year and certainly than we were last time we were relegated. We are looking to keep this squad together and add quality additions to strengthen our cause. I am hugely respectful of National One have played and coached in it but our aim will be to bounce back to the Premiership straight away however there is a lot of work to do between now and then.
"The reality is that we have been relegated, personally and as a team that is very disappointing and we will have to reflect on the season as a whole in the coming weeks. However, I don't think that there was anything more we could have done this season to avoid relegation. We found out late that we had won promotion and we have been catching up all season.
"However we have learnt valuable lessons this season. It was great to see Scott Armstrong and Luther Burrell out there today and playing in front of a packed Kingsholm will stand them in great stead for the next season and the rest of their career. We showed great spirit to keep battling to the end and it was nice to score the last try as a reward for the player's efforts," added Lancaster.