The men from Llanelli and John Mulvihill’s Blues will both dine at European rugby’s top table this season as they go head-to-head with the best teams on the continent.
Last season saw the Scarlets make the Champions Cup semi-finals before being beaten by eventual winners Leinster.
This time around, Wayne Pivac’s outfit will face French giants Racing 92, Guinness PRO14 rivals Ulster, and English side Leicester Tigers.
“We don’t want to start as we did last year because Ulster back to back isn’t a guaranteed two wins,” said Pivac as he looked ahead to a new European campaign.
“It will be a lot tougher. Racing 92 are a good side with a lot of resources and they have done well in the competition over the past few years.
“They are going to be tough first up, but we are really pleased to have them at home. We have a pretty good record at home over the past few years only dropping one game.
“Hopefully, we can get another big crowd for our matches there. The Toulon games were great, while La Rochelle last year was epic with the extra seating and singing.
“If we can get another great crowd behind us, especially against the French clubs, it goes a long way to helping us get results on the field.”
While the Scarlets are used to the Champions Cup and all it brings, the Blues are returning to the competition after winning last season’s Challenge Cup in thrilling fashion in Bilbao.
Mulvihill’s side are joined by Saracens, Glasgow Warriors and Lyon in Pool 3.
Their first game is away at Lyon.
“I’ve seen a lot of Champions Cup action over the years and it’s fantastic to see all the best teams in Europe all on one stage. We’re looking forward to being a part of it at the Blues,” Mulvihill said.
“We can’t wait to play Saracens back to back as they’re a huge team who have set the competition alight in recent seasons.
“First up is Lyon and there is Glasgow too. Our pool is very cosmopolitan and there is a good mix there so we can’t wait to get started.”
FOR THE SCARLETS’ AND CARDIFF BLUES’ FULL CHAMPIONS CUP FIXTURE LIST, CLICK HERE
