Northampton start their campaign at holders Stade Rochelais on Saturday and the South African flyer reckons that limiting the number of mistakes he and his team make is the key to emulating their TOP 14 opponents’ success last year.

“I think for us it's all about cleaning up our game, just not making a lot of mistakes,” said the 31-year-old. “We have the game that can take us all the way. It’s just about making sure that it’s clean and I think that’s a big focus for us.

“The quality of players, of teams, of games - that’s the big thing. You’re basically playing international teams every weekend, which is why I say if you clean up your game, it will probably be better because it’s almost like you’re playing a Test.

“We want to do well, get a few wins at the beginning and go from there.”

Skosan notched two tries in the Heineken Champions Cup last season and says scoring in the competition feels different to any other tournament.

“Tries are always special, but I didn't understand the magnitude of this competition until I played it,” he commented. “It's quite special to contribute and if you get a win on top of that as well, it just adds to it. It’s special to score a try.

“The rich history, the players who have been a part of the competition, the teams who have won it – I think that for me is the coolest thing and makes it one of the biggest competitions in the world.”

Skosan’s move to Northampton last year was his first foray into rugby outside his native South Africa and he feels the inclusion of three clubs from there in the Heineken Champions Cup for the first time can only be good for the tournament.

“I think that it’s really quite exciting,” he said. “We were looking forward to getting one or two of them, as some of the boys haven’t travelled to South Africa and I think it’s a great experience. It creates a different element to the competition.”

Northampton Saints wing Courtnall Skosan believes the Gallagher English Premiership side have the ability to go “all the way” in this season’s Heineken Champions Cup.