Saturday was a fourth consecutive defeat for Saracens against fierce rivals Northampton Saints.

The loss also saw the club fail to make it to the LV= Cup final this weekend.

Although the result was disappointing, like director of rugby Mark McCall reiterated before the match, the competition has been about much more than just winning for his side.

The LV= cup has given experience to players who have gone on to be integral for the club; the likes of Owen Farrell, Jackson Wray, Will Fraser and Jamie George to give a few examples.

This years’ campaign looks to be no different with two of the Saracens squad being nominated for the LV= Breakthrough Player of the Year award.

Ben Ransom is a player who has not only shone in the Anglo-Welsh Cup this year but in the Premiership too.

Standing in for Alex Goode while on international duty, the 22-year-old has not once looked out of place.

His illusive running style will flourish on the artificial surface at Allianz Park and he will be dazzling defences for many more years to come.

Fellow back Ben Spencer has also been showing his class.

A man with not only Premiership but also Heineken Cup experience, he has shown he can hold his own among the best.

His chances have been few and far between in more recent times due to the clockwork rotation system in the scrum-half department between Richard Wigglesworth and Neil de Kock.

Spencer’s accuracy with the boot saw him going into the knock–out stages as the competition’s top point scorer, as asset to any team.

Spencer has shown that more game time should be coming his way and that he should become the third weapon in Saracens’ scrum-half armoury.

In the forwards, Matt Hankin has led the way. He stood up to a fearsome and experienced Northampton pack like he does it week in week out.

The Sarries’ back-row is a fiercely contested one, but this should not hamper Hankin.

As shown by Jamie George, biding your time and learning from the best in the game will only ensure you reap the rewards in the end and fans will be hoping that this is the case.

Evidence so far and his impressive tackle count at the weekend shows that the Burger-effect might already be taking place.

To lose is always disappointing especially in a semi-final, and against Northampton, but these three young guns have shown that the future is bright at Saracens.