OASIS pop group manager Marcus Russell is returning in charge of Ebbw Vale Rugby Club who have sacked coach Byron Hayward and assistant John Williams and put former England lock Alex Codling in charge.

The players were told of the coaching changes after their 28-24 defeat of Newport yesterday, a game Codling attended.

He will take his first training session on Thursday night and will eventually have an assistant backs coach, Caerphilly head coach Gareth Linton one of the names being mentioned.

Last night 32-year-old former Neath, Wasps, Saracens, Harlequins, Northampton and Leicester player Codling, now with French club Montpelier, confirmed: "I have agreed to become new coach but can say little at this stage.

"I will come with no pre-conceived views and have been told the club have a strong squad but have not performed as well as expected.

"I was approached by a colleague of Marcus Russell after I was told by a specialist I had to retire from playing with Montpelier in the French Championship because of a serious lower back injury."

Londoner Codling won his one cap for England under Sir Clive Woodward against Argentina in 2002, but previously played six Churchill Cup matches for England and had a spell with Neath in 1999. He will commute four days a week from his London home.

Vale officials were saying little about the moves today, club president Mark Powell confirming a statement would be issued in due course.

He said: "Results had been disappointing and we needed to act quickly otherwise relegation was looming.

"They (the new board) weren't prepared to run that risk and felt they needed to make some alterations to the coaching staff at this stage."

Team manager Doug Taylor commented: "Steve Hancock (chairman of the outgoing board which took charge before last season) took on the clubhouse (which he still owns).

"But the playing side became too much and he decided to hand back control to Marcus Russell and his brother, and that change is in the process of being implemented which will place the club on a firmer financial footing."

Sacked chief coach Hayward, at the club for the past seven years, said: "After the Pontypool game on Boxing Day we were told Marcus Russell and his brother were taking over the club and they wanted their own coaches.

"If it's for the benefit of Ebbw Vale and will make the team better I'm all for that, because the club comes first. "If we were bottom of the league with no hope of avoiding relegation, I'd accept you have to get rid of the coaches, but things have turned around with wins over Cross Keys, Pontypool and Newport. I've never had any thoughts of relegation this season.

"It's like dj vu for me. In 1998 when I was playing with Kingsley Jones (now Sale coach) these were the people who put us all up for sale. You don't expect something to happen like this twice.

"You don't mind if it's up front, but this has been going on for weeks obviously and we've only just been told about it and that's disappointing."

Hayward remains a Wales Under-19s coach, but though asked to stay as a player said he had only helped Vale in an emergency and had retired. Williams stays a top WRU District A official.