The 1991 Australian World Cup winner is all set to swap the Super 14 – he led the Waratahs into this summer's final – for Europe's finest next week when he takes his new team to Belfast.

And even though the Wallabies' most capped prop has played in the northern hemisphere before, spending two seasons at Paris University, he realizes he will be heading into unchartered waters in Round One at Ravenhill on Saturday.

"It is all new for me because it will be the first time I have been involved with the Heineken Cup.

"I've followed the tournament over the past few years and I'm really looking forward to getting involved with it," said McKenzie.

"The team is used to the competition, but I'm a little bit nervous at the moment. We are facing some major challenges in our Pool and we will need to take them one at a time.

"The Heineken Cup is a much coveted trophy, so the pressure is on. It doesn't help the nerves that we start against Ulster in Ravenhill at a ground where we've never won before.

"I went to see Ulster play against the Ospreys, but that result isn't going to fool me.

"They are going to be a tough side to beat on their own patch.

"We've started well this season and won six games in a row – four on the road. We're trying to encourage a winning culture and it is important to win away from home."

Ulster hold a 4-0 advantage over the Parisians in Belfast, although they have yet to beat them away from home.

The two teams first met in the 1999 semi-final at Ravenhill, when Ulster won 33-27, and then they met three times in four seasons.

In the 2001/02 campaign the Ulstermen won 19-16 on home soil, it was 22-20 in 2003/04 and 18-10 the next season.