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Hines, along with David Skrela, Regan King and Lee Byrne, has been drafted in to bolster an already stellar squad which has its eyes on the prize of winning European rugby's premier tournament.
Clermont Auvergne kick off their Pool 4 campaign with an opening trip to face last season's quarter-finalists Ulster in their own backyard of Ravenhill on Saturday afternoon.
Hines, who was a Heineken Cup winner with Leinster and scored a try in their amazing 33-22 comeback against Northampton Saints at the Millennium Stadium last season, admits there is a major expectation of European glory at his new club
"There is a real focus on Heineken Cup success here," said Hines.
"We know and everybody knows we have a good squad at Clermont and there is a real expectation and pressure on us to be a success.
"Our coach Vern Cotter has talked about the importance of the Heineken Cup and there is a real feeling about it because of what happened to Leinster last season and in the quarter-final, the season before.
"Everybody knows how good this tournament is and what it would mean to win it."
Clermont are in the same Pool 4, along with Ulster, Leicester Tigers and Aironi Rugby, and are already looking to emulate the success of the Belfast side and the Tigers who have both lifted the Heineken Cup.
Hines, who recently announced his retirement from Test rugby this week, left Leinster after two years in Dublin to return for his second stint in France. The 34-year-old enjoyed a four-year spell with Perpignan before he signed for the Irish province.
But the Australian-born Scot knows all about what to expect against Ulster from his time with Edinburgh and Leinster and has sounded a note of caution to his Clermont teammates about the trip to Belfast.
"There is not much I can tell them that they don't already know, it's always wet and windy in Ravenhill," said Hines.
"But the Heineken Cup is important to Ulster and you only have to see how they performed in it last season to see that. They were going okay in their league but Europe was a real catalyst for them and became a real focus for the season.
"They really got their teeth stuck into the tournament last season and they will want to do the same again this time round."
