Nick Abendanon: 'Amlin Challenge Cup final defeat is hard to take'

Bath full-back Nick Abendanon has admitted that his side's Amlin Challenge Cup final defeat to Northampton Saints is "very hard to take".

The West Country outfit let a 13-6 lead slip at Cardiff Arms Park as the Saints fought back to win 30-16.

Abendanon, who was playing his final game for Bath ahead of a summer move to Clermont Auvergne, has suggested that he and his teammates allowed Northampton back into the match by pushing too hard.

"It's very hard to take considering where we were at half time," he told Sky Sports News. "We showed a lot of dominance in that first half, especially in our defence to put them under a lot of pressure and then Anthony Watson's runaway try put us in a good position.

"We tried to emulate that in the second half but a couple of kicks slid away to the side and suddenly they're back in it with Stephen Myler kicking as well as he did."

Bath finished the Aviva Premiership season in fifth place in the table.