Bristol coach Peter Thorburn has come out fighting on behalf of the club's supporters and players by publicly opposing a merger with West Country rivals Bath.
Bristol's fight against relegation from the Zurich Premiership has been overshadowed by the battle for the 115-year-old club's survival and Thorburn fears that if a merger takes place the club name will disappear.
``We have got some wonderfully passionate supporters. They aren't fairweather fans and they are the ones I feel sorry for because it's not fair on them,'' Thorburn said.
Bristol took a big step towards escaping the drop with Sunday's 30-20 victory over Bath at Bristol City's Ashton Gate ground.
Defeat dumped Bath on the bottom of the table and the issue of who fills the relegation spot will be decided on Saturday when Bath entertain Newcastle, who secured their own safety at the weekend, while Bristol visit London Irish in their final match of the league season.
If the merger goes ahead the likelihood is that no-one will go down to make way for already-promoted Rotherham but Thorburn deeply regrets the prospect of one of the famous old clubs being swallowed up.
He said: ``The emotive thing for me is the average Bristol fan in his mid-40s, who brings his sons to the games and, in turn, was brought to the matches by his father.
``For these people, who have been lifelong Bristol supporters, it's part of their life and they support it with a passion.
Thorburn told a Radio Five Live debate: ``I don't know what the business options are, but if the two clubs merge, the Bristol name will disappear - that's just common sense.
``I will be here for two years and I'd love to go back to New Zealand and watch Bristol matches on the internet and see them go on until the day I croak it.''
The coach pointed out the other detrimental effects which could result with the jobs of the club's administrative staff in serious jeopardy, along with the future of the Shoguns' Academy set-up which has produced promising players like Richard Skuse, Rhys Oakley, Paul Hodgson and Matt Styles.
The uncertainty means that he has been unable to negotiate contracts with established players, 12 of whose contracts expire at the end of the season, but Thorburn is also concerned about those who are tied to the club for next season and beyond.
``Most of the questions have been asked and the answers haven't been forthcoming at the moment. The players who are able to renew their contracts can do something. But it's the ones who have contracts that run over into next
season that I feel sorry for,'' he added.
Bath's players and coaching staff are also trying to push the merger talk into the background and concentrate on what happens on the field.
``We have to beat Newcastle at The Rec on Saturday and hope London Irish beat Bristol in Reading. And even then it might take calculators to sort out who goes down,'' said coach Michael Foley.
He added: ``The merger speculation won't go away over the next week and, as far as we're concerned, if we lose next Saturday we're relegated it's as simple as that.''