Friday 13 November 2015 10:24, UK
No sooner has the curtain come down on the Rugby World Cup, focus quickly shifts to the European Rugby Champions Cup as 20 teams from across the continent do battle.
Four-in-a-row hopefuls Toulon remain the team to beat after bolstering their squad with international stars like Ma'a Nonu, Duane Vermeulen and Quade Cooper, but two-time runners-up Clermont Auvergne are the early favourites.
Can the English clubs challenge the French heavyweights? Wasps were the last Premiership side to lift the trophy in 2007 and they have been drawn in an extremely tough pool with Toulon, Leinster and Bath.
Having helped Leinster clinch back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012, Leo Cullen is now in charge of the province and Johnny Sexton has also returned from a two-year spell in France, while Munster have made a strong start in the Guinness PRO12.
Glasgow Warriors, who defeated Munster in last season's final, will aim to build on their first piece of silverware as they attempt to reach the quarter-finals for the first time, while the in-form Scarlets will also have their eyes on a place in the knockout stages.
Sarries, Ulster and Toulouse boast strong home records while Champions Cup debutants Oyonnax will make life uncomfortable for teams at the Stade Charles-Mathon, provided they don't lose interest in the competition.
Saracens host Toulouse in their opening fixture before travelling to Belfast to face Ulster, and they will target two victories from their back-to-back fixtures with Oyonnax in December.
Clermont Auvergne are favourites to claim top spot but Exeter and Ospreys won't make life easy for them.
Bordeaux drew at the Stade Marcel Michelin in September and host Clermont on the opening weekend. Les Girondins will be keen to make an impression in their first appearance in the Champions Cup since 1999.
Four evenly-matched sides will go head-to-head but how will Racing cope without All Blacks legend Dan Carter for the opening two rounds?
PRO12 pair Glasgow and the Scarlets face Racing in the opening two rounds with Carter expected to feature in the back-to-back games with Northampton in December.
Three teams will battle it out for two places with bonus-point wins over struggling Treviso likely to secure a runners-up spot.
Munster and Leicester have enjoyed some fantastic tussles down through the years and they will renew hostilities on successive weekends in December, while Europe could prove a welcome distraction for Stade Francais, whose Top 14 defence has gotten off to a stuttering start.
The 'Pool of Death' sees four former winners collide, including four-in-a-row chasing Toulon. Can anyone stop the French heavyweights?
Toulon have put a poor start to the Top 14 behind as their World Cup stars return to club duty and they host Bath at the Stade Felix Mayol on Sunday.
Leinster faced all three of their pool opponents in last season's Champions Cup. They beat Wasps and Bath before suffering an extra-time defeat to Toulon in the semi-finals.
