CORNISH All Blacks player/coach Ryan Westren wants his side to continue from where they left off in recent weeks when they return to South West Premier action tomorrow against second-placed Barnstaple at Polson Bridge (3pm).

Although Launceston have won just two of their seven league outings so far, they’ve shown considerable improvements in recent weeks — including victories over Newbury Blues and neighbours Okehampton — as they look to secure another season at Step Five following promotion last term.

This weekend sees one of the toughest tests in the division as Barnstaple make the trip down from North Devon with their eyes set on going one step further than last year when they lost a promotion play-off to National Two League (South) to Essex outfit Westcliff.

The Chiefs are currently second in the table with a game in-hand on leaders Weston-super-Mare, while the Cornishmen won successive games before losing 32-13 at Weston-super-Mare 13 days ago.

Westren explains how they have been using their time off.

“It’s been much of the same stuff and revisiting the things we’d improved on in the last month which helps us to compete at this level. It’s about getting into our minds and not slipping back into our old habits.

“The boys that needed a bit more of a rest had one, but that’s not to say we haven’t been working hard. Some were kept ticking over but those who were fit enough, got some good work done last week as well as some learning.

“We spoke individually to players as well but the main thing is to keep working hard and make sure the blueprint from the last few weeks is fresh in the mind and that we don’t go away from that.”

Westren is more worried about how his team impose their style.

He said: “They were near the top last year and lost the play-off. They’re good across the board, most sides at the top tend to be well rounded. We know what type of threat they possess, but we’ve just got to deal with it.

“We’ve shown in the last few weeks we can do that so the focus from our side is making sure we dictate proceedings as opposed to the other way round.

“In the first few weeks we allowed teams to get on top of us and we were defending for long periods, which you can’t afford to do.

“The main aim is to keep improving that as that’s got a lot better than in the first few weeks.

“We need to make sure we deal with their forwards so they can’t produce front foot ball for their backs. If you allow teams to do that, it’s very hard to get the momentum back.”

Although Barum will start as firm favourites, Westren is confident.

He said: “We’ve shown we can compete now so our full focus is on trying to get the result we desire against Barnstaple. A lot of results this season have shown that anyone can beat anyone on any given day in this league, so we’ll go into the game looking to win.

“We’ll do our due diligence on them like we do with any other team and look forward to the task ahead of us this weekend, before moving on to the next.”

However Launceston will have to do without a number of personnel, especially in the forwards where Harry Lightfoot, Tom Bottoms, Gary Gynn and Dan Goldsmith are all injured.

Joe Stansfield, who is at university also drops out, meaning a first league start for Dom Theobald at blindside-flanker.

Elsewhere in the pack, Chris Macdonald returns for the first time since September to start at lock while Rory Cinnamond is preferred to Greg Thomas at tighthead-prop.

The backline also sees two changes as Martin Kneebone and Shaun Crawford are recalled on the wing and at outside-centre.

Kneebone missed their last league outing due to the impending birth of his child and replaces the injured Alfie Lang which means that Reuben Edwards, who played for the Exeter Chiefs Academy in midweek, starts at full-back.

Crawford starts in the midfield in place of Tom Sandercock who joins Thomas and Alex Bartlett amongst the replacements.

Cornish All Blacks —

Edwards, Pearce, Crawford, Westren, Kneebone, Coles, Mulberry; Bentham, Bulut, Cinnamond, Macdonald, Clarke, Theobald, L Duke (captain), Rowley.

Replacements: Thomas, Bartlett, Sandercock.