The Scarlets haven’t reached the last eight of the tournament since they made it through to the semi-finals back in 2007 and they will have to do it the hard way this time around after being paired with ASM Clermont Auvergne, Harlequins and Racing Metro in Pool 4.
But while Davies admits his side won’t have it easy, he is confident they can find the kind of form that could just catapult them into a first-ever European final back on home soil at the Millennium Stadium next May.
“Over the last few years we’ve been very disappointed not to have got out of the group. It’s important that we concentrate on ourselves, get our own house in order and deliver performances worthy of getting results because we want to be competing in the latter stages of the competition,” said Davies.
“It’s a pretty tough draw but you want to be competing against the best. We’ve drawn three really strong teams but the way we’ve been playing this year means we’ve got some confidence in the squad. We just need to make sure we get momentum.
“The Millennium Stadium is one of the best stadiums in the world to play rugby in. I’ve been lucky enough to do that for my country and I couldn’t think of anything better to do with my club. That’s the goal that everyone’s going for, although there’s a lot of hard work to be done before that.”
First up for the Scarlets is a trip to former Amlin Challenge Cup winners Harlequins on Saturday October 12, with a mouth-watering match up with Racing Metro following in Llanelli a week later.
Davies knows starting brightly is key to their chances of progress and he’s hoping for a positive performance in London followed by a famous French scalp in the Principality.
“The first two games are very important before you go into the back-to-back fixtures in December,” added Davies.
“Hopefully, we can get some good results and good performances and be in a position of strength leading into the last four games because you don’t want to be playing catch up towards the end of the tournament. Hopefully, you can get a nice little cushion and work off that.
“Harlequins have gone from strength to strength. It’s going to be a tough ask but we want to go up there and nick a result. We’ve got to make sure we don’t make mistakes and give them momentum at The Stoop.
“It will be especially tough out there against Racing and Clermont in France, but when they come to our place at Parc y Scarlets we’ve got to make sure we make life awkward for them. We pride ourselves on the way we play at home. We’ve got to be as accurate as possible, not give them momentum or front foot ball.”
