BLACKBURN director of rugby Dino Radice says his players are ‘up for it’ as they prepare for life in North One West.

The Ramsgreave Drive club, who won the North Lancs/Cumbria title last season, have had a busy summer of recruiting in readiness to test themselves at the next level.

No fewer than 10 new players have joined Blackburn to bolster a first team squad whose immediate aim will be to stay in the division.

And although Radice admits it will be a tough challenge, he says his players are ready for wait lies ahead.

“In my opinion, this is a division Blackburn deserve to be playing in,” said Radice. “Now it is up to me and my fellow coaches and the current crop of players to make sure we stay in it.

“Consolidation is what this season will be all about but we are definitely up for it.”

Blackburn were the stand-out team as they sealed the North Lancs/Cumbria title last term - racking up 100 points on more than one occasion.

But Radice knows this season throws up a whole new challenge - starting with Kirkby Lonsdale on Saturday who were beaten in the National League Three North play-offs in May.

“Last season we were playing some teams and wondering not if we would win but by how many points,” he added.

“There were a couple of games where we put 100 points on some teams and that was no good for anyone.

“This season it is going to be a lot harder. There will be no easy games in this division and we are going to have to be at the top of our game to make sure we are not that team who are on the end of heavy defeats.

“We know we have to accept that we are probably going to lose more games than we did last season.

“So it is how the players respond to that. Everyone likes to be involved in a winning team, it is when you lose a few games things become interesting because players hate to lose matches.

“So it will be testimony to them if they stick at it and see things through.

“But this is the reason we play rugby, we like to set ourselves challenges and rise to them.”

Radice, a former Lancashire Under 18s head coach has used his knowledge and contacts to bring in plenty of young and exciting talent - and he said they will all get the chance to impress.

Among those who are joining the squad are former Burnley player James Henderson along with Danny Whitehead from Rochdale, Ben Corless and Callum Kyle from Fylde, Garstang pair Lawson Whittaker and Ben Kelsall, scrum half Harry Pilkington from Fleetwood, Rugby League convert Dan Birrett from Wigan RL and former Preston Grasshoppers Ben Rhodes-Powers and Cameron Robinson who both study at Myerscough College “I have worked with a lot of these players while I was with Lancashire and they certainly have the talent,” said Radice. “It is a case of seeing if they can do it at this level.

“But they will get their chance.”

Second row Nick King and scrum half Craig Aikman have left the club as Blackburn go for youth over experience.

“Both Nick and Craig came in and did a great job for us last season,” added Radice. “Their job was to get us out of that division and they did just that.”