It will be first against second in Pool 3, with Edinburgh only ahead of the TOP 14 title chasers on points difference after their 40-30 home win over Wasps, and Hodge has been impressed by Friday’s opponents.

“Bordeaux are sitting second in the TOP 14 by some distance; they and Lyon are well clear, so they’re a good side,” the former Scotland fly-half told the Edinburgh website.

“They’re well coached and have got some good individual players. They’re kind of typically French; they’re a big side, based around the set-piece and a sort of power game, so in that respect they’re no different to Agen, Montpellier and Toulon and these guys in terms of some of the basics of the game.”

However, Hodge stressed that Edinburgh are on a high after last Friday’s bonus-point success, which was achieved with two tries from centre George Taylor, plus one apiece from full-back Damien Hoyland and hooker Cameron Fenton.

“Yeah, we were delighted,” he commented. “If you’d said to us before the game we’d have played like that and come away with a win, we’d have taken it. To get the bonus point as well at the end was great.

"There were a lot of good performances from some guys who haven’t had masses of rugby, so that’s great for morale and great for competition in terms of the Scotland guys coming back in. It’s a fairly healthy camp just now.

“We’re fit and in good condition and if we can stick to certain markers, we know we’ll be competitive against French teams.

“You want to keep the ball in play, keep those guys moving – you can’t have high turnovers, which mean a set-piece. Not that we’re not good against set-pieces, but you’ve got to think logically about the game and work it back.”

Edinburgh Rugby attack coach Duncan Hodge is looking for an action replay of his side’s 31-10 win at Agen in their European Rugby Challenge Cup opener last week when they host another French club in Bordeaux-Bègles on Friday night at BT Murrayfield.