Bates put defeat down to "inexperience and desperation" right at the death

Newcastle Falcons director of rugby Steve Bates was proud of his players despite seeing them tumble out of the EDF Cup against Gloucester on Sunday.

Falcons were already eliminated prior to the game and Bates was impressed with his side's commitment to the tie.

"I'm extremely proud of the players," he told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"These guys are professional players and they understand they are vying for positions and a lot of them have put themselves in strong positions today."

Gloucester eventually ran out 11-10 winners after a last-gasp try from Apo Satala snatched the points and handed the Cherry and Whites a place in the semi-finals.

But Bates was left to rue missed chances, particularly one in the first half that could have changed the face of the tie.

"We showed a little bit of inexperience and a little bit of desperation at the end," he said.

"They never looked like scoring all afternoon and we defended fantastically well."

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