Bath hooker Ross Batty has admitted that he was left "massively disappointed" by the side's Aviva Premiership final defeat to Saracens at the end of last season.
The 28-year-old and his teammates were beaten 28-16 at Twickenham Stadium on May 30 as Sarries were crowned champions of England.
"It was a massively disappointing finish and a really tough one to take," he is quoted as saying by Premiershiprugby.com. "With everything being on that game there was a lot at stake but you have got to take your hat off to Saracens. They did the job on the day."
While admitting that Bath are showing big signs of improvement, Batty has warned the squad that they will have to work hard during the new campaign if they want another shot at the title.
"We are taking steps in the right direction but with the talent we have got here, we know where we want to be. With the squad we have got, we don't want excuses," he added.
"We make sure we work our backsides off in pre-season and in training and last season was proof of the calibre and strength in depth that we have. That's where we want to get to but there's a damn lot of hard work to put in before we start thinking about that. We are looking forward to the challenge ahead."
Bath start the new Aviva Premiership season at home to local rivals Exeter Chiefs on October 17.
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