Saracens CEO Lucy Wray believes the club is in a great position and expects the Men’s side to bounce back quickly following their Premiership final defeat.

In an open letter to supporters, Wray addressed the fortunes of the Men’s and Women’s teams.

She is confident the men’s team will recover quickly after their agonising 15-12 defeat to Leicester Tigers at Twickenham and praised the ongoing work of long-serving head coach Mark McCall.

“It is very hard to put down in words all the things I would like to say to our Sarries family,” Wray told the club website.

“Until today, we had not lost a men’s final in quite a long time and you forget how awful it feels.

“But it also motivates you massively to go again. Look at our brilliant women’s rugby team who lost in the final 12 months ago and came back this season to win it in such emphatic style.

“I do genuinely believe that we are so much stronger than ever before because of this shared experience and having to come together like never before.”

The manner of defeat was especially painful from a Sarries perspective, as Leicester’s Freddie Burns kicked a last-minute drop-goal.

Owen Farrell had levelled the scores with a close-range penalty just minutes earlier, but with extra-time looming, Burns held his nerve to give Tigers their first win since 2013.

“Over 2,000 minutes played in the Premiership this season and it comes down to 3 points in the last two minutes,” said Wray.

“That does not define a season. We have a remarkable group of players and I hope they, and their families, know how proud they make us every day.”

Sarries had won their previous four finals, and Saturday’s defeat was their first in the domestic showpiece since 2014.

Since his appointment as Director of Rugby in 2011, McCall has overseen five Premiership victories and steered Saracens back into the top-flight following relegation for salary cap breaches.   

Discussing McCall’s ongoing impact, Wray said: “A brilliant rugby mind with an eagle eye for detail. He avoids the limelight, but he is the driving force behind the Men’s team performance.

“Yet his biggest strength is away from the rugby field. He cares deeply about all the players and staff, taking a real interest in their lives. He empowers the people around him and helps them fulfil their potential as players, coaches or staff.

“He once said to me: ‘Every day I come to work and think about how I make this the best possible place for my players and staff to be. I do this every day.’

“A quiet man with a big heart who would always have your back.”