NEW Earswick All Blacks ALRC have been provisionally placed in the premier division of next season’s restructured Pennine League - against head coach Jack Stearman’s wishes.

All Blacks finished in mid-table in the second tier last season, when the league endured a troublesome year of reshuffles on the back of leading teams leaving for summer rugby in the National Conference League.

It all left only six clubs to finish the season in the top tier and league chiefs have provisionally promoted four from the championship division - Doncaster Toll Bar, Batley Boys and Morley Borough, along with New Earswick. One team, Queensbury, have gone the other way.

But Stearman says his developing side are not yet ready for the top flight and has written to the league asking for them to be left where they were - so they can go up on merit.

“It’s only provisional at the moment so no necessarily the way it’s going to be,” said Stearman of the draft structure.

“We had a three-year development plan for the team and we’re going into the third year now.

“We played Morley and Doncaster last season and get beat heavily twice. I believe in my players and their ability to develop further this year in order to go up the season after that.

“The championship division is our level for this season. We’re a young team, an inexperienced team, with players still developing. We’ve got at least three more new players this season.

“We want to go into the premier division believing we can win it but we’re at least a year away from that. I want to win the championship and go up on merit and give it a good go the season after.”

The new season will start on Saturday, September 19, before which All Blacks have one friendly lined up, at home to Queensbury this coming Saturday (2.30pm).

The Pennine League has regionalised further in the lower divisions, so there are now east and west sections in both division three and four.

Local rivals Selby Warriors and Sherburn Bears have provisionally been placed in division three east.