DANNY Thomas is determined to build on the solid foundations left by his predecessor after being named Chippenham RFC’s new head coach.

The 37-year-old former Plymouth Albion skipper and forwards coach succeeds ex-Wales international Jason Forster, who ended his three-season tenure at Allington Field earlier this month.

Bristol-based Thomas, who also has stints at Taunton and Barnstaple on his CV, will work alongside existing backs coach Dale Burn and the other staff who, with Forster, guided Chippenham to a top-six finish in National Three South West this season.

He told the Gazette & Herald: “I knew Chippenham from my days with Barnstaple and they are a very good team with good individual players who have gelled well as a unit.

“They’ve had a good couple of years together as a team and, hopefully, we can keep that team together.

“I want that continuity to stay the same and try not to disrupt it, which is why it is good to have Dale staying on.

“I took last year out of coaching a little bit, but it’s reinvigorated me a little bit and then this opportunity came up.’’

Thomas, who watched the club’s development squad win the Dorset & Wilts title for a sixth year in a row on Sunday, backed the club’s approach which, unlike many of their divisional rivals, does not financially reward its top players.

He added: “There is a lot of money in the league, to the detriment of the game a little bit.

“Everything has got to be sustainable. There is an ethos at the club and I think it’s the right way of doing things.’’

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