WITH a vital match away at relegation rivals Cobham due to take place on Saturday, Basingstoke RFC have moved quickly to appoint an interim head coach.

Gareth Lewis is a member of the board who has had three previous spells as head coach. He will lead the side this weekend, aided by assistant coaches Gavin Hart and Ben Stewart, who will continue in roles they performed under Will Croker. In addition, Paul Bridgeman and Lee Johnson have agreed to help coach the team.

Whether some members of the playing staff will decide to sever ties with the club in support of Croker remains to be seen, but chairman of playing John Byett is hopeful that the team will continue to give their all for ’Stoke.

“I hope that all of the players will support the new structure, but only time will tell,” Byett said. “If they want to walk away, then they will, but I do not think that anyone has said they will not play.

“We will not know the true position until new year is out of the way, everyone is back, and we can see the number of players we have available. There has been a lot of talk, but it’s time to get on the park and play rugby.”

Basingstoke go into the game at Cobham 13th in the London One South table, with just one side below them. They are five points from safety, having lost their previous three matches and eight of their last nine.

Cobham are 11th, just above the relegation zone and five points better off than the visitors. It’s a vital game for both sides, but Byett believes it’s one that ’Stoke can win.

“It’s a big game but we are only down at the bottom of the table because of the 15 point deduction,” he said.

“We should have enough in the squad to go out and beat Cobham and if the boys have belief, then we can win the game.”

Off the pitch, the club hopes to announce the appointment of an interim chairman and secretary in the coming days, with an Extraordinary General Meeting due to take place at some point in January to give the membership a chance to vote for a new committee.

The search is also on for a new head coach, but no appointment is likely to be made before a permanent committee is in place.