The TOP 14 side kicked off their 2021/22 campaign with an impressive 45-14 win at Northampton Saints on Friday night.

Although Racing boast a plethora of youthful talent, the 33-year-old centre reckons they also have enough experience to know what it takes to succeed at the highest level.

“My words, when the European Cup comes around, are always the same - we have to be more demanding of ourselves, more disciplined,” he said. “It’s a competition that doesn’t forgive defeat.

“In the [Heineken] Champions Cup you need to be ready from day one. I try to pass this on to my teammates to prepare for specific moments and to know how to come forward and be in the game.”

The former France back already knows how he wants his side to play when the competition begins – retaining the ball as much as possible.

“I know in the [Heineken] Champions Cup the plays are generally longer compared to TOP 14,” he said. “I think the team with the ball and the team that use the ball well have more chances of putting the opponent in danger. We need to progress there and hold on to the ball for as long as possible.

“It’s about doing the right things between keeping hold of the ball and trying to put the opponent in difficulty, but also not putting yourself in difficulty in your own half. It’s about having that balance of knowing when to hold on to the ball and when to put the pressure on in the opponent’s half.”

Chavancy admitted there is work to do – but is confident that his team are capable of asserting themselves as one of this season’s leading contenders.

“I think we have a lot of things to sort out; we need to progress in several areas. But the potential is there in any case, and the experience and the talent are there too, I think.

“The advantage is that we have experience of these finals we’ve played in already. We know the path ahead and that can be an advantage.

“We know what ingredients we need in order to get there. I’m convinced that we can and that we have the potential to put in these things. Will we manage to do it? That’s another question.”

Racing 92 captain Henry Chavancy believes his side’s mission to finally lift the Heineken Champions Cup starts with discipline and high standards from their young squad.