Having amassed 55 tries in 79 European appearances, including 40 in 67 top-flight games, the 33-year-old Worcester Warriors wing has certainly done that.

“It’s something you want to get excited about and you want to prove yourself in front of different teams all across Europe. The only platform to do that is through the Champions Cup,” he explained.

It all began for the two-time European champion with Northampton Saints in 2009, following a season with the English club in the Challenge Cup.

“One of my first memories, funnily enough, would be against Munster,” he recalled. “Having come from rugby league [and] always playing against your local team, to be able to go across to Thomond Park when Munster were at the top and with a full crowd, it was something I’d never experienced before.

“Just the passion, just the whole atmosphere of the tournament was something I hadn’t expected and didn’t have an idea about.

“So, to be able to start it off in such an amazing place and just get a feel for it that way, you could tell there was a dramatic difference from the Champions Cup to your normal Premiership games.”

Ashton didn’t score in that game in January 2010, but that blank has been a rarity in an illustrious career, which reached its zenith when he touched down for Saracens’ first in the 2017 final against ASM Clermont Auvergne.

Not only did his 12th-minute effort put the London club on the way to their second successive European title, it also enabled the England international to pass Vincent Clerc’s then competition record tally of 36 tries.

“Yes, [it was] a great day,” he remembered. “It was unusual to score a try like that and for it to break the record – two [achievements] at the same time, so it was a good combination.

“They are the moments that will stick with me forever. Those moments and winning games like that are why I started [playing rugby] and why I want to play.

“So, just to finally have it there in a box that I’ve done it and that I’ve been able to achieve that means a lot to me.”

EPCR record try-scorer Chris Ashton believes the Heineken Champions Cup is the only place to prove yourself in Europe as a top player.