The TOP 14 club went down 21-9 to Saracens in the 2016 decider, 15-12 to Leinster Rugby two years later and 31-27 to Exeter Chiefs last year.

Chavancy admitted: “It’s hard to deal with losing a final, all the more so given the cruel scenario. It’s a learning process despite being hard to take.

“That’s three finals that we’ve lost now, but that gives us an even bigger appetite. We really want to win it. We know how.

“We know what we have to do to hopefully win the trophy. It’s up to us now to put all the ingredients together and to do what’s necessary to return to the final and to lift the trophy.”

The 33-year-old centre can’t wait to get started, with their trip to Northampton Saints on Friday in Pool A kicking off the whole tournament.

“The matches are very exciting,” he said. “We’re really looking forward to getting the [Heineken] Champions Cup started and measuring ourselves against the best teams, starting with Northampton.”

Chavancy acknowledges that the new format of the Heineken Champions Cup – which sees each side play four matches in the pool stage - means that teams know that they cannot afford to make any slip-ups.

“The smallest of defeats can be crippling,” he said. “We’re starting with a very difficult match against Northampton, away from home, so we’ll be in the deep end straightaway.

“We know we’ll need a win if we hope to do something in this competition. It’s exciting and stressful at the same time.”

Racing 92 captain Henry Chavancy has warned that his side know exactly what they need to do to win the Heineken Champions Cup for the first time, after losing three finals.