BASINGSTOKE RFC return to home action this Saturday, with a Hampshire derby against London Three South West title chasers Eastleigh.

Stoke will be looking to put recent defeats behind them and in their last outing lost 57-35 at Teddington.

This was despite Brent Evans (2), Dave Lambert, Carl Hayward and Simon Appleby all scored tries.

Captain Robbie Northcote said: “With three games left we’re really looking to close out the season with some good performances."

Looking back on the last loss, Northcote said: “It definitely wasn’t the result we were looking for but there were some positives to take from the afternoon.

“We didn’t help ourselves to start with as our availability for this game was pretty bad with a mix of injuries, work commitments, the England international and general unavailability, all having an impact on the team that was available for selection.

“Having said that, you could not knock the effort and commitment of the lads that did have to step up and it was great to see the depth we have in certain positions.”