The excitement surrounding this season's Heineken Cup gathered pace with the official UK launch taking place in Cardiff today.
Leading players and coaches from the 12 competing English, Scottish and Welsh teams, as well as Toulouse stars Frederic Michalak and Yves Donguy, were on hand to discuss their chances ahead of the start of the quest for the greatest prize in European rugby.
And while all the attendees may have been wearing different kit or sporting different club colours, everyone shared the same goal: to be crowned 'Kings of Europe' back in the Welsh Capital on May 21 next year when the 16th Heineken Cup final will kick-off in the Welsh captial at 5.00pm local time.,.
"It certainly gets the heart racing," said event compere and former Heineken Cup winner Ieuan Evans.
"Every year you think, 'wow, the quality of the tournament can't be improved upon' but every year there's an extra Group of Death in there.
"Getting out of your group is getting tougher and tougher and tougher. People aren't talking about quarter-finals or semi-finals now and who you might potentially get in those games. They're only looking at the group and will then just take it from there."
The 16th season of Europe's premier tournament kicks off in less than two weeks time with a host of stunning fixtures taking place on the weekend of October 9/10/11.
Evans and everyone else associated with European rugby is already looking forward to what looks set to be another memorable campaign, especially as each tournament weekend is jam-packed with potentially outstanding encounters.
"There's such quality on the opening weekend alone," added Evans, who picked up the continent's greatest prize with Bath in 1998.
"You've got Northampton Saints versus Castres on the Friday; RC Toulon welcome the Ospreys with Jonny Wilkinson up against a start-studded Ospreys team; you've got ASM Clermont Auvergne playing Sarries, and Sarries are going well at the moment; then you've got Leinster versus Racing Metro, who could well be the dark horses in this tournament this year.
"There's also London Irish against Munster. I watched Irish at the weekend against Newcastle and they were breathtaking, but will Munster allow them that space?
"There's so much quality and it really is mouth watering."