Gloucester boss Bryan Redpath says winning the Amlin Challenge Cup next season will be tougher than ever.
Redpath was twice a Challenge Cup winner with Sale in 2002 and 2005 but the former Scotland scrum-half believes the standard of Amlin Challenge Cup rugby is on the rise.
Last season's competition reached new heights, with close to 50,000 fans watching Cardiff Blues beat Toulon in a thrilling finale to what was undoubtedly the most exciting Challenge Cup season in history.
And having appeared in the quarter-finals of the 2009/10 tournament as one of the three next best runners up in the Heineken Cup before losing to London Wasps, Gloucester themselves know just how hard it will be to repeat their own Challenge Cup success of 2006.
"We know that, if we're going to progress, we'll have to win the group which won't be straightforward and, even then, three teams entering the tournament from the Heineken makes the knock out stages even tougher," said Redpath.
"It's nice to know who we'll be facing in the Amlin Challenge Cup next season and the draw has thrown up some interesting opponents," added the 38-year-old after Gloucester were drawn in Pool 5 alongside Agen, Rugby Rovigo and La Rochelle.
"Both Agen and La Rochelle have been promoted back into the Top 14 so they'll be looking to make their mark while Rovigo are a bit of an unknown quantity.
"We did face Agen in the Heineken Cup a few seasons back and they beat us home and away so we'll be taking nothing for granted against them.
"The group will be tough. Winning in Europe is never easy and the Amlin Challenge Cup is a tournament that's definitely risen in quality over the past few years.
"Northampton had to work hard to win it a couple of years back and the recent Toulon-Cardiff Blues final featured two excellent teams."