The draw has been done for the 2009/10 Heineken Cup - Irish return to the fray after a year away and hope to better their 2008 highlight of running Toulouse a very close second in the semi-final.
The draw took place at noon Central European time (1100 BST) and Irish were placed into Pool 6.
It's a mouth-watering prospect but a tiny bit intimidating. Irish join current champions Leinster, Welsh big-hitters Scarlets and French big-spenders Brive. While that provides some huge matches in prospect (with the possibility of some massive crowds at the MadStad) it would be a brave man indeed to predict a winner other than the current holders. If Irish can hold their own, though, anything is possible.
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