WASPS forwards coach Craig Dowd says he is relishing another battle between Wasps and Toulouse.

The two previous Heineken Cup winners go head to head in pool six of next season's Heineken Cup, with Llanelli and Edinburgh also in the group.

And Dowd knows that current holders Toulouse will be wanting revenge for their last-minute defeat at the hands of Wasps in the 2003 final.

He said: "My first reaction was fantastic, Toulouse are in our pool. I'm really excited about it.

"It was difficult last time Toulouse played Wasps and we know that it will be tough again.

"It's a reasonably tough draw but the Heineken Cup is about beating the best teams.

"Toulouse will be saying, We've got Wasps' just like we're saying We've got Toulouse'. It will be a tough battle."

And Dowd is keen for Wasps to prove themselves in the northern hemisphere's toughest club competition after exiting the Heineken Cup at the pool stages last year.

He said: "It got frustrating watching it last year, seeing teams like Stade, Toulouse and Munster in the competition whom we'd beaten in the last couple of years."

But Dowd knows qualification from the group will be tough, with only one team sure to go through.

He warned: "You can't take your eyes off Edinburgh and Llanelli.Edinburgh beat Toulouse two years ago and we can't take anything for granted."

Both Edinburgh and Llanelli will be wanting to perform well in the Heineken Cup after next season's demise of the Celtic League.

Edinburgh have only reached the knock-out stages on one occasion, when they reached the quarter-final in 2003, while Llanelli have been semi-finalists twice losing 31-28 to Northampton in 2000 and 13-12 to Leicester in 2002 and have reached the last eight on four occasions.

Toulouse are the main threat though, having won the Heineken Cup on three occasions the only team in the competition's history to do so.