The draw for the 2012/13 Heineken Cup pool stages took place at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Tuesday and the Ospreys found themselves up against familiar foes and some true European giants.
Four times European champions and newly crowned French T14 kings Toulouse were the first team drawn in Pool Two, shortly followed by double Heineken Cup winners and 2012 Aviva Premiership runners-up Leicester Tigers.
The Ospreys were drawn third in the pool, with PRO12 rivals Benetton Treviso – who were in the same pool as the Ospreys in the 2011/12 competition, finishing off the draw.
The Ospreys have played all three opponents in European competition previously.
The have been paired with Leicester on three separate occasions, in 2005/06, 2008/09 and 2009/10, winning two, drawing one and losing three. The Ospreys though are unbeaten in the last three Heineken Cup fixtures between the two teams and have also defeated the Tigers in their last two Anglo-Welsh Cup fixtures.
Toulouse were in the same pool as the Ospreys in our first ever season, 2003/04, with the then defending champions winning twice on their way to another final, which this time they lost to London Wasps.
Benetton Treviso have been drawn twice with the Ospreys previously, with the region unbeaten in four games - although Treviso held the Ospreys to a 26-all draw in Italy last October.
HEINEKEN CUP 2012/13 DRAW
Pool 1: Munster, Edinburgh, Saracens, Racing Metro 92
Pool 2: Toulouse, Leicester, Ospreys, Benetton Treviso
Pool 3: Biarritz, Harlequins, Connacht, Zebre
Pool 4: Northampton, Ulster, Glasgow Warriors, Castres
Pool 5: Leinster, Clermont Auvergne, Scarlets, Exeter
Pool 6: Cardiff Blues, Toulon, Sale, Montpellier
2012/13 Heineken Cup Dates
Round 1 12/13/14 October 2012
Round 2 19/20/21 October 2012
Round 3 7/8/9 December 2012
Round 4 14/15/16 December 2012
Round 5 11/12/13 January 2013
Round 6 18/19/20 January 2013
Quarter-finals 5/6/7 April 2013
Semi-finals 26/27/28 April 2013
Dublin 2013 European club rugby finals
Amlin Challenge Cup final - RDS, Friday, 17 May 2013 (8.00pm)
Heineken Cup final - Aviva Stadium, Saturday, 18 May 2013 (5.00pm)
All Heineken Cup pool fixtures are covered by season memberships, with prices starting at just £185 for adults, with up to four kids going free in standard areas and the BoGoF offer remaining in place until the start of the season (T&Cs apply). An Ospreys record of more than 8,000 memberships have already been issued for 2012/13.
For more information on season memberships please visit http://www.ospreysrugby.com/ticketing/news or call the Ticket Hotline on 0844 815 6665.