Munster coach Rob Penney claims to be "living the dream" just three months into his new job.
The former Canterbury and New Zealand Under 20 coach keeps pinching himself when he gets set for his first taste of Heineken Cup rugby.
"We play Racing Metro at Stade de France and then Edinburgh at a sold-out Thomond Park - wow!" said Penney.
"Being able to coach in the Heineken Cup was one of the major attractions of coming to Munster. It is the best club rugby tournament in the world game.
"It allows you to pit yourself against some of the best coaches around and the wealth and depth of talent available to the clubs is incredible. There is so much passion associated with the competition and I can't wait to get going."
Along with the passion comes huge expectation from the Munster faithful, who have seen their side win the title twice and reach two other finals during an ever-increasing love-affair with the tournament.
"Pressure is something you can either embrace and use to your benefit, or get negative and twisted about and let it kill you," said Penney.
"Success needs to be measured on more than just the scoreboard and we have an exciting young group of athletes coming through the ranks. The main job has been trying to put old heads onto those young shoulders in the early part of the season.
"The statistics show that the teams that succeed in the Heineken Cup have done so on the back of experience. That's why it has been great having someone of Ronan O'Gara's experience working around the fringes of the squad and behind the scenes during his international rest period.
"He is such a great influence on everyone at the club. He has been really positive and has worked so hard to be in a position to contribute on his return.
"Ian Keatley has benefitted from working alongside him and he is growing in stature all the time. We will really need the youngsters to step up to the mark in the Heineken Cup."
Munster kick-off their 18th Heineken Cup campaign with a trip to Paris to face the unpredictable Racing Metro at Stade de France. Pool 1 also sees the Irish stalwarts face Edinburgh and Saracens.
"It's a tough Pool with a difficult start. I'm not looking at the topsy-turvey start that Racing Metro have made to their Top 14 campaign - they will be more dangerous because of their unpredictability," added Penney.
"When the big games come along their big name players start firing, and they've got a lot of them."
