LAUNCESTON joint head coach Ryan Westren expects to have a fully fit squad to choose from for this Saturday’s Cornish derby at Camborne (2.30pm).

The All Blacks had the weekend off following their thrilling 32-32 draw with Brixham 12 days ago, which ensured that they avoided dropping to the foot of the South West Premier table despite basement club Newbury Blues’ surprise victory over leaders Barnstaple.

Launceston are just a point off third bottom Bracknell, but Brixham’s win on Saturday in their rearranged game at Exmouth means they have climbed to ninth and above Drybrook, who do have a game in-hand.

With two clubs set to go down instead of the usual three — due to there being one less side in the division than normal — it looks set to be a fascinating second half to the campaign.

The Polson Bridge start a run of three fixtures up to the Christmas break by heading down the A30 to tackle the Cherry and Whites who are going well under director of rugby, Liam Chapple.

They have won six and drawn one of their ten fixtures, losing just once from five attempts at the Rec.

Such is their ability to grind out results, they have won those four games by an aggregate of just 17 points, including single point wins against high-flying Weston-super-Mare and Drybrook, who visit Polson Bridge next Saturday.

However, Westren knows that keeping cool is key.

He said: “The fact it’s a derby adds a bit of extra spice. We’ll rely on the lads who have experienced it before, know what it entails and what to expect.

“But if anything we need to approach it like any other fixture. We need to keep our thought processes clear, especially during the week. There is no avoiding the derby side to it, but if we get our processes right during the week then we should be fine.”

After a difficult first few weeks, the All Blacks have started to adapt and Westren believes they can soon start climbing the table.

He said: “We’re getting to the stage now where we can compete against anyone. The results might not have gone our way yet but belief is growing each week which proves that what we’re doing is working. We’re heading in the direction and I’m confident that the results will turn in our favour.

“I expect the improvements we’ve shown in recent weeks to continue, especially now we have a full squad to choose from. That not only drives competition for places, that in turn improves performance as you have to perform on a Saturday to keep your shirt. Hopefully we can raise it to another level from where we’ve been.”

Westren admits that he and fellow joint head coach Ian Goldsmith may find it hard choosing their matchday 18.

He said: “There’s quite a lot of factors that come into the equation, whether that be playing form in the league or training performance and attendance. Some weeks the team almost picks itself due to what’s available, but ultimately as a coach you want to be picking from a full squad. No-one likes the selection conversations, but if we want to be successful we want to be picking from a full squad.”

With there likely to be a near 1,000-strong crowd at the Rec, Westren wants his side to rise to the occasion.

“The Cornish rugby fanbase is very parochial, so we know that come derby day the atmosphere will be there. As a player, if you can’t get up for derby day you might struggle to get up for any type of game, so part of our challenge is using the vociferous crowd in our favour and feed off that.

“They’re pretty well-rounded as the better teams in this league tend to be. But we’ve identified some traits we feel we can exploit, so hopefully we can put that into practice this week and execute come Saturday afternoon.”

Brixham’s three wins and a draw in their last four encounters has seen them earn some breathing space having been rock bottom at the start of November, and Westren believes his side are capable of doing something similar.

He said: “They have taken 17 points out of the last 20 points available, and that goes to show that if you stick to your processes and get a bit of luck, sometimes it can turn. If you stay in games you can go on little runs and they have flipped their season around.

“We talk about winning big moments in big games and at the moment they’re not going our way. Against both Bracknell and Brixham, a bounce of the ball here and there in our favour could have seen us in Brixham’s shoes.”

Westren also hopes to see plenty All Blacks supporters make the trip.

He said: “It’s not often we get to play against the Cornish sides, so it’d be great to see as many people in black there as possible.”