Heineken Cup champions Stade Toulousain will begin the defence of their crown with a home clash against two-time winners London Wasps.

Both teams are in Pool 6, alongside Glasgow Warriors and Newport Gwent Dragons, with Toulouse looking to defend the title they won by beating fellow French side Biarritz 21-19 in last season's final.

Wasps' director of rugby Tony Hanks said his club was excited by the challenge of fronting up to Toulouse in their opening fixture.

"Playing the defending champions at Le Stadium in the opening round is the sort of big game we want to be involved in," he added.

Heineken Cup Pools & Fixtures

Biarritz start their 2010/11 campaign with a tricky trip to Bath in Pool 4, while Catalan giants Perpignan are away to Welch outfit Scarlets in Pool 5.

Current French champions Clermont Auvergne, who have targeted Heineken success this season, start off with a home game against English side Saracens in Pool 3 - the same group as Racing-Métro 92, one of two French newcomers to Europe's premier club competition.

Racing open up with a trip to Ireland to take on Leinster - the 2008/9 champions - before their second round match pits them at home to Clermont on October 16th in a mouth-watering all-French clash.

Toulon are the other French side making their Heineken Cup bow this season with the likes of Jonny Wilkinson, Carl Hayman and Paul Sackey getting their group matches underway with a home game against the Ospreys on October 9th in Pool 3.

Toulon will be relieved to start with a home game at their fortress-like Stade Félix Mayol ground - where they remained unbeaten last season - especially as Pool 3, which also features London Irish and Munster, has been labelled the 'group of death'.

Aubin Hueber, the club's forwards coach, admitted that home success would be vital for Toulon if they're to harbour serious hopes of progressing through to the knockout stages.                                  

"I prefer to let my president speak of goals," Hueber told rugbyrama. "We will try to compete with the biggest clubs in Europe, appearing at the top table of the competition and against teams who are used to that. What would be great would be to remain unbeaten at the Mayol, then we can redefine our goals based on our results," he added.

But Hueber said that Top 14 would remain the club's number one priority for the 2010/11 season, with the Heineken Cup serving "as a springboard" for Toulon.

Castres are also in this season's competition, after finishing fifth in Top 14, and they travel to take on Northampton Saints in their opening Pool 1 fixture.

Elsewhere in France, Perpignan's injury woes have continued with confirmation that second row Olivier Olibeau requires surgery to repair a damaged knee tendon. The 33-year-old is expected to be out of action for up to three months, giving the club a further injury headache following news that fly-half Julien Laharrague will also miss the opening two months of the season.

Stade Toulousain also have an injury worry, with former All Blacks scrum half Byron Kelleher still nursing a fractured jaw sustained while playing for the Barbarians against Ireland during the summer.

Head coach Guy Noves remains hopeful that Kelleher will be fit in time for the club's opening league game - on August 13th - but should the former international not recover then it could hand new signing Nicolas Vergallo an early chance to show off his credentials.

Argentine international Vergallo was signed from Dax over the summer, primarily as cover for the still injured Frédéric Michalak.

Top 14 Transfers 2010/11

In other news, former Bayonne coach Richard Dourthe has announced that he is going to an industrial tribunal to as he attempts to prove he was unfairly dismissed by the Basque club last season.

A provisional court date has been set for September 9th, with Dourthe's legal representative Anne Marque saying Dourthe was "anxious to see justice done".

Finally, ProD2 outfit RC Narbonne have signed Australian lock Chris Thompson, 25, from the Warratahs.

Pre-Season friendlies:

July 23
Bayonne v Bourgoin (Stade Jean Dauger, 20.00)

July 24
Aurillac v Brive (Jean Alric, 19.30)
Toulon v Lyon OU (Stade Félix Mayol, 20.45)
SU Agen v RC Narbonne (Moissac, 19.00)

July 25
La Rochelle v Grenoble (Angouleme, 15.00)

July 29
Lyon OU v Stade Francais (Tignes, 18.30)

July 30
La Rochelle v Stade Toulousain (Mazamet, 19.30)
SU Agen v Brive (Sainte-Foy la Grande, 18.30)
Bourgoin v Clermont Auvergne (Nyon, 19.00)
Toulon v Racing-Métro 92 (Stade Félix Mayol, 20.40)
Pau v Castres (Hagetmau, 18.30)
Montpellier v Carcassonne (Pézenas, 18.30)
Perpignan v RC Narbonne (Aimé Giral, 19.45)
Aix-en-Provence v Nice (Aix, 20.00)

August 1
SCA Albi v Béziers (Millau, 18.00)
Rovigo v Colomiers (Millau, 20.00)

August 2
Mont-de-Marsan v Bordeaux (Soustons, 19.00)

August 3
Bourgoin v Sale Sharks

August 4
Bayonne v Saracens (Stade Jean Dauger, 18.00)
Montpellier v Aurillac (Lacaune, 18.30)

August 5
Toulon v Stade Francais (Stade Félix Mayol, 20.40)
Stade Toulousain v Bourgoin (Saint-Affrique, 20.00)
SCA Albi v Rovigo (Saint Affrique, 20.00)

August 6
Biarritz Olympic v La Rochelle (Aguiléra, 19.00)
Brive v Leicester Tigers (Stade Amédée Domenech, 20.00)
Grenoble v Bourgoin (Grenoble, 19.00)
Perpignan v Racing-Métro 92 (Aimé Giral, 19.45)
Lyon OU v Oyonnax (Issoire, 18.30)
Clermont Auvergne v Sale Sharks (Issoire, 20,00)
SU Agen v Leeds (Agen, 19.00)

August 7
Castres v Colomiers (Lavaur, 18.30)
Montpellier v Sale Sharks (Camares, 18.30)
FC Auch Gers v Pau (Mourenx, 17.00)
Aurillac v Provale Select XV (Kamares, 16.30)

August 11
Béziers v Carcassonne (Béziers, 18.00)

August 13
Pau v RC Narbonne (Castets, 18.00)
Oyonnax v Macon (Nantau, 18.00)
Lyon OU v Saint Etienne (Lyon, 18.00)
Aurillac v SCA Albi (Aurillac, 19.30)

August 20
Carcassonne v Mont-de-Marsan (Carcassonne, 18.30)
Grenoble v Oyonnax (Grenoble, 19.00)