Quins after another French scalp

Evans was at the heart of the double over Stade Français Paris last season, his tournament debut coming in the shock 15-10 win in the French capital.

Harlequins lost 20-6 against Cardiff Blues in the first Heineken Cup match played at the new Cardiff City Stadium in Round 1 and will be keen to get their challenge for quarterfinal qualification going when they face the treble Heineken Cup winners.

"The Heineken Cup last season was awesome - I enjoyed every minute of it," he said.

"It was more than I thought it was going to be and, although I didn't really know what to expect, I knew it was going to be hard rugby.

"However the interest in the tournament, the intensity of it and the hype surrounding the games was really exciting.

"It was something I took back to New Zealand in the summer and talked about. I said I wished they could get TV coverage of a lot more of the games - not just the Quins games for my family - but other games that they don't get to see either.

"I was very impressed, especially from the quarter-finals onwards, with crowds like the one they had for the semi-final between Munster and Leinster at Croke Park. It was amazing and I have been really looking forward to this year as well.

"Our group in this Heineken Cup is an interesting and exciting one. How good would it be to beat Toulouse home and away - that is the challenge we've got."

Evans, who scored 103 points in 15 Tests for the All Blacks after making his debut against England in Dunedin in 2004 at the age of 23, does not regret having put his international career on hold.

"I got a little bit of chat about it from the public back in New Zealand but there's no chance of me going home in the near future," he said. "I'm very happy where I am. I've got this year and next year and then we'll see where we are after that.

"And the best way I can repay the Quins is with consistency. Once I got those injuries, I felt disappointed that my form dropped a little bit towards the end of the season.

"So if I can just keep that consistency in my game at the top level those are the standards I set for myself because that's the kind of player I am.

"And this is the first full pre-season I've had in four or five years - with the All Blacks you don't get a full pre-season - and although we didn't let ourselves down because we had a great season for Quins, we could have gone that one step further and got a bit of silverware. It's something that we're striving for."

And there is more of the same regarding the tournament from his half back partner and England scrum half Danny Care.

"I loved it - we some great games - and obviously you pick out the ones against Stade Francais home and away," he said. "They were fantastic games and it shows what a fantastic competition it is when you can get 75,000 supporters to come and watch you in a club game.

"We all want to play in the Heineken Cup - it's the pinnacle of playing for your club. We want to go one step better and get into a semi-final - and possibly the final - this year."