LAUNCESTON’S new first team head coach Steve Perry wants his side to produce some ‘exciting and entertaining rugby’ as the All Blacks prepare for Saturday’s Regional One South West opener at promoted Trowbridge (3pm).

The Cornishmen make the trip to Wiltshire having only avoided a relegation play-off courtesy of a remarkable final day success at runners-up Topsham. Since then, there’s been plenty of change both on and off the field as they look to improve on last year’s ninth-placed finish.

Long-serving player and latterly coach Ryan Westren has left for a role at Redruth with former player Perry returning to Polson Bridge alongside new forwards coach, Will James, the former Gloucester, Plymouth Albion, Cornish Pirates and Wales international.

“Pre-season has gone really well and we’ve been averaging around 40 a session which is brilliant,” said Perry.

“There’s been lots of commitment and availability in the pre-season games and we’ve played a variety of opponents which have challenged us in different ways which has been good. Playing Devonport Services from the league above stretched us in defence and gave us something to work on.

“We had a tough 10 to 15 minutes against Penzance & Newlyn in the Cornwall Super Cup, which we managed to come through, and the win at Okehampton in the Borders Cup felt like a league game with the rivalry between the two clubs, so it’s been really positive.”

There have been plenty of incomings to both the first and second teams, the latter of who will once again be in a highly-competitive Counties Two Cornwall having survived in their first year since promotion.

They start with a home clash against Liskeard-Looe this Saturday.

On the Trowbridge test and the season being delayed by a fortnight due to the summer heatwave, Perry added: “With Will and I still fairly new to the role, we’ll be focusing mainly on what we can do as opposed to the opposition, but I’ve heard Trowbridge is a very tough place to go. But we’ll enjoy the challenge.

“I also think the delay to the start of the season has been a good thing for us as it’s given us two more weeks to implement things which we might not have been able to cover before the first game.”

Step Five rugby seems to get better each year, a fact not lost on the former Barnstaple, Exmouth and Newton Abbot coach.

He continued: “The league looks really strong as usual. There’s new teams who we haven’t played before or for a long while in Newent and Trowbridge, while Weston-super-Mare won their league comfortably and will be a difficult side to beat, particularly up there.

“We’ve also got the Cornish derbies with St Austell, which we’ll really look forward to, then there’s the usual contenders who are always up and around the top in Topsham, Brixham and Exmouth. But it’s a league where there’s not much difference between third and the bottom three, so we’ll have to be at it every week. I just hope we’ll produce some exciting and entertaining rugby for the supporters to watch as well as a real commitment to the shirt.

“Polson Bridge is a wonderful place to watch and play rugby, so we’re looking forward to everybody enjoying their Saturday afternoon both during and after the game.”