LAUNCESTON joint head coach Ian Goldsmith feels his side’s pre-season friendly with old rivals Redruth on Friday night (7.30pm) will provide a ‘litmus test’.

The All Blacks’ first scheduled outing, three 25-minute thirds against Bideford on Thursday night (August 8) was cancelled due to the North Devon side pulling out due to a lack of numbers, and Goldsmith admitted it was ‘frustrating’.

He said: “Frustrating is the key word with the Bideford situation for a couple of reasons, a. because it would have given us a run-out and b. because it would have given everybody some decent game time.

“With the fixtures coming up against Redruth, Devonport Services and Okehampton you’ve got to start cutting the squad, but at least we got something out of it with the in-house training game. In all honesty it’s not something Ryan (director of rugby, Westren) and I are overly keen on, but it’s the next best thing to do in those circumstances.

“There were a few things we identified that we need to work on, but what Ryan has been working on in attack looked promising.

“We looked sharper and more threatening with ball in-hand, so that’s really pleasing.

“And the other thing which is obviously important is that we came away unscathed in terms of injuries.”

Redruth head up the A30 on Friday night gearing up for yet another season at Step Four, and Goldsmith is excited to see how his side fare.

He added: “The plan is to do two 40s and we’ll probably go into it with a squad of up to 30, and it’s going to be a super test for us.

“We really appreciate Nigel (Hambly) bringing his team up to play us, particularly as they had their marquee friendly at the Cornish Pirates this weekend.

“It’s going to be a litmus test to see where we’re at in all aspects, 1. to see how competitive we are and 2. to see how much we’ve come on from a couple of years ago where we never looked like working our way through them.”

Launceston’s squad is significantly different since then and Goldsmith expects an improvement on last time.

He said: “I’m looking forward to seeing how we cope with the collision and contact area and how we get on against an established top half National Two (West) side.

“The other important thing will be our game management and knowing when is right to attack and when to be a little more pragmatic.

“But at the end of the day it’s all about what happens in the red zones as when they get near our line we need to keep them out, and when get into theirs, make sure we take advantage.”

Launceston were fifth last year in Regional One South West, but a fair way behind the sides above them in terms of points scored, and Goldsmith feels they are on the right track.

He said: “Recruitment in the backs has gone exceptionally well. We got our main target in George Hillson who looks a real threat and we’ve added some real strength in depth with the likes of Jose Juarez and Zerran Hammond and Cohen Larson on the wings.

“Jose was a total surprise and looks a real class player, particularly when you consider his lack of English. But it doesn’t effect how he plays at all, so we’re excited to see what he can do.

“This year Ryan’s going to have some real headaches in the backs, just like me and Hutch (Glyn Hutchings) have in the forwards.”

So are there any other additions planned?

Goldsmith said: “We’re pretty happy with what we’ve got at the moment, but I’m sure the upcoming games will highlight something.

“We could maybe do with another back five option in the forwards, so I may see what (Plymouth) Albion and Exeter Uni have available, but I’d be more than happy going into the season with what we’ve got already.”

Goldsmith hopes the Polson Bridge faithful come out in force.

He said: “We chose a Friday night as we felt it’d attract a large crowd in, and hopefully that’ll be the case for what’s always an exciting Cornish derby.”