WE’RE all relishing this weekend’s trip to France for our second showdown with Perpignan in the Amlin Challenge Cup.

The Stade Aime Giral is a fantastic stadium that I know well from my time in France with RC Toulon and we can certainly look forward to a warm reception and a memorable atmosphere in front of a fired up crowd.

It will be a real cauldron of noise and emotion and, after our slender 22-21 success at Sixways, we know Perpignan will throw everything they have at us for 80 minutes.

However, the boys are ready for the massive challenge ahead.

The result last week at Sixways was crucial as it kept us firmly in the driving seat in the pool as we look to make the last eight.

It wasn’t a great spectacle – the relentless rain meant it was hard for both teams to play any decent running rugby – but our attitude was spot-on and even when Perpignan came back to lead in the second-half we refused to lie down.

At the start of the season, we were falling just short in tight games like that.

However, we now have the belief, which was also evident against Saracens and Harlequins in the Aviva Premiership, to back ourselves to win any game.

It can be hard to develop a hard-nosed, steely winning attitude; it’s not something that just happens overnight.

The belief and confidence, though, is coming and our game this Saturday in France will be another test of just how far we have come.

There were a number of big performances against Perpignan, in particular the front five who gave us a real platform.

We knew Perpignan would be strong up front and look to get their driving game going. We had to nullify their scrum and nullify their maul and I felt we more than matched them.

In the first-half, we really made our mark in the set-piece, with Euan Murray certainly catching the eye on his full debut.

The backs also looked very dangerous and capable of causing problems in the tricky conditions, while Andy Goode overcame a nasty illness to do what he does best – score points.

We also saw plenty of opportunities for us to go wide and, on a dry pitch in Perpignan, I’m optimistic we can do some damage.

Finally, a big thank you to the fans that came down to Nando’s last night to support our evening in aid of Acorns Children’s Hospice.

A number of the boys were behind the grill showing off their culinary skills and on waiter duties – so I can only apologise for what you were served up!

On a serious note, the club is a huge supporter of the amazing work of Acorns and we will be wearing a special charity shirt and raising money at our league game with London Welsh on Friday, December 21.

Please get right behind that fixture and make a difference this Christmas.

Bon voyage to all those travelling to France!