McCall taking nothing for granted

Saracens boss Mark McCall says that despite his side reaching the final of the Heineken Cup last season, this year's European Champions Cup campaign could be an even harder slog.

The European Champions Cup replaces the Heineken Cup as Europe's top tier competition and sees Saracens line up in a pool alongside Clermont Auvergne, Munster and Sale.

They take on Clermont Auvergne at Allianz Park on Saturday in a repeat of last year's semi-final, which Saracens won 46-6 at Twickenham.

However, McCall is reading very little into what happened last year.

"This is a new season - last season is almost irrelevant," McCall said

"They had beaten us in the quarter-finals the year before, so it's hard to pin your hopes on what you did to a team six or seven months ago. It is a very new challenge.

"This competition is meant to be an elite competition, and it certainly has the feel of that this season.

"Ourselves, Clermont and Munster were in the semi-finals of the competition last year and the year before, so we know it's going to be incredibly difficult to get through the group.

"History suggests that you've got to fight for every point. I don't think anyone will win six games in our pool - maybe not even five games - so there is something to fight for in every game.

"There have been tough groups in the past, and we've been part of tough groups ourselves, but last year we got a more favourable group and there was an expectation that we would get into the quarter-finals. This year, it would be an achievement in itself to get through the pool."

McCall has named England fly-half Owen Farrell on the bench for Saturday's match as he makes his return from injury.

Northampton take their first steps in the new competition against Racing Metro in Paris on Saturday night with Welsh side Ospreys and Italians Benetton Treviso the other teams in the group.

"Over the last couple of years we've started pretty slowly in Europe and have had a few hiccups. I am thinking Leinster, Ulster at home. Even Scarlets a year before that," Saints' England flanker Tom Wood said.

"We've done some analysis on them (Racing), but it has been fairly broad. They've got so many options, but what we do know is that whoever they pick, a French side on home soil is a real challenge.

"We know we are in for a tough start, but we're pretty happy with where we are at the moment."

In what is arguably one of the ties of the first round, Leicester host Ulster in Pool Three on Saturday as they look to put a difficult start to the Aviva Premiership season behind them.

Reigning champions Toulon and Welsh club Scarlets are the other teams in their pool.

Bath, who will not be signing Steffon Armitage from Toulon, head up to Scotland to take on high-flying Glasgow Warriors with the all-French clash between Montpellier and Toulouse the other Pool 4 game this weekend.

"I don't mind playing away from home because I love the challenge," Bath head coach Mike Ford said.

"On a wet and windy Saturday afternoon in Glasgow it will be great to see where we are at against that sort of opposition."

Sale may be at home to Pool 1 rivals Munster but go into the game as underdogs and rugby director Steve Diamond is under no illusions.

"Munster will be looking at us as the whipping boys, and that's exactly how I want it.

"In our first six league games, we have lost to Gloucester at Kingsholm and away at Saracens and Northampton, and there are some big sides with huge budgets.

"And Saracens and Northampton both beat us comprehensively because we handed it to them in a lot of ways, so that is the area we are working on."

Harlequins host Castres in the opening game tonight.

European Rugby Champions Cup 2014/15 - Round One Fixtures

Date	Local Time	Pool		Home Team		Away Team		Venue
17/10/2014	07:45 PM	P2		Harlequins	v	Castres Olympique		The Twickenham Stoop
18/10/2014	01:00 PM	P1		Sale Sharks	v	Munster Rugby		AJ Bell Stadium
18/10/2014	03:15 PM	P1		Saracens	v	ASM Clermont Auvergne		Allianz Park
18/10/2014	03:15 PM	P4		Glasgow Warriors	v	Bath Rugby		Scotstoun Stadium
18/10/2014	06:15 PM	P5		Racing Métro 92	v	Northampton Saints		Stade Yves-du-Manoir
18/10/2014	07:45 PM	P3		Leicester Tigers	v	Ulster Rugby		Welford Road
19/10/2014	01:00 PM	P5		Ospreys	v	Benetton Treviso		Liberty Stadium
19/10/2014	02:00 PM	P4		Toulouse	v	Montpellier		Stade Ernest Wallon
19/10/2014	04:15 PM	P3		RC Toulon	v	Scarlets		Stade Félix Mayol
19/10/2014	05:15 PM	P2		Leinster Rugby	v	Wasps		RDS Arena

Sunday's other Champions Cup action, meanwhile, sees Wasps visiting Pool Two favourites Leinster, Ospreys entertaining sole Italian representatives Treviso and an all-French Pool Four encounter between Toulouse and Montpellier at Stade Ernest-Wallon.