Jonah Lomu is set to make his Heineken Cup debut for Cardiff Blues next month and add his name to the galaxy of stars to have graced European club rugby's elite tournament.
And the Welsh region expect fellow All Black and back row forward Xavier Rush to also take his competition bow after recovering from a shoulder injury as they take on Italian champions Rugby Calvisano in back-to-back matches in Rounds 3 and 4 of the 11th season of the Heineken Cup.
Lomu is one of the biggest draws in the game worldwide and another of those household names - 2005 British and Irish Lions captain Brian O'Driscoll - is back in contact training and still on target for his December resumption for Leinster, as is fellow Lions tourist and Ospreys centre Gavin Henson.
But France and Toulouse captain Fabien Pelous and ASM Clermont Auvergne's David Barrier will be missing while they serve suspensions and a number of top names are set to be absent through injuries, among them Saracens' high profile signing Andy Farrell.
They include Perpignan full back Julien Laharrague; Ospreys pair lock Brent Cockbain and No 8 Ryan Jones; Cardiff Blues' centre Tom Shanklin and prop Gethin Jenkins; Llanelli Scarlets scrum half Dwayne Peel; Leinster wing Denis Hickie; Stade Français Paris fly half David Skrela and Biarritz Olympique stars Serge Betsen and Damien Traille.
On the plus side a number of key players are set to resume action in the tournament, among them Manny Edmonds (Perpignan); Toulouse duo Nicolas Jeanjean and Xavier Garbajosa and a raft of Stade Français Paris players like David Auradou, Mauro Bergamasco, Ignacio Corleto and Juan Hernandez.
