IT is only a few months since Glasgow Warriors became the first Scottish side to win a cross-border competition when they captured the Guinness PRO12 title. They are determined this week will be the start of getting another monkey off their backs as they try to win through to the quarter finals of a European competition.

It all kicks off for them in Paris where they play Racing 92 – Racing Metro's latest rebranding – and one of the biggest packs in northern hemisphere rugby. The Glasgow boys just can't wait, says Pat MacArthur, the hooker who will lead the charge from the front.

"That's why you play, isn't it? To come up against these boys and have a shot at them," he said with his huge grin demonstrating the sense of excitement already there. "Going to Paris, is is a huge challenge, they are a classy outfit and a big bunch of boys. We are a tight-knit group though and we will go that extra mile for each other, that will be a big part of the game for us.

"We know it is all down to us to turn up, be disciplined and put the work into the game. France is a tough place to play, as a forward and as an away team it is a tough, tough place to go so it will be a good match to be involved in."

Like all the players he knows all about Glasgow's sorry record in Europe. As the tournaments have gone through changes in structure and branding one thing has remained constant – while Glasgow always had the capacity to pull out huge results, they have never had the ability to string them together and make it through to the last eight. It hurts even more that Edinburgh have managed the feat twice, once gone on to a semi final.

What makes this season tricky, is that the World Cup means nobody really knows what to expect from their rivals – or, in Glasgow's case, from themselves. Every side has been affected to a greater or lesser extent by international demands and as things currently stand Glasgow are having to prepare for their opening game not knowing whether Dan Carter, the World Cup winner and World Player of the Year, will be available for their opponents – the betting is that he won't but he is registered.

"We know Racing 92 are going to be incredibly strong up front though we don't really know what team they will pick, they have so many quality internationals," Gregor Townsend, the head coach pointed out. "We have watched a few of their games so we know what to expect – forward power and guys like [Joe] Rokocoko, [Juan] Imhoff and various others in the back line, though I don't think Carter will be playing.

"There is quality throughout and we know they will be stepping up their game. They have had some close victories in the last few weeks where they have not played at their best but I'm sure they will at their best next week – like when they beat Toulon in the opening week of the season.

"In the history of the [Glasgow] club right back to 1995/96 when the game went professional, it has never made it to a quarter final. There is a reason for that – we have not been good enough but the competition is very tough. We hope to put that right this season."

MacArthur feels the team is in a good place for taking on the challenge ahead. The internationals from five World Cup squads – plus Taqele Naiyaravoro who only just missed out on being there with Australia – have arrived back and with a game or two under their belts are starting to gel as a club team again.

"A big part of the club is how close-knit our group is," MacArthur said. "There has been a lot of learning on the field and a lot of learning off the field to help one another so that when we have changes in personnel it does not affect us massively and we can gel and make a tighter unit. Europe is the next step. We give ourselves goals at the start of every season and that is one of the goals for his season – to make an impact in that area."

In recent weeks they have shown both parts of their game; wining with style against the Ospreys and then gutsing out a bonus point win in Cardiff on an afternoon when nothing seemed to click. "I knew the boys had done a lot of fitness work, so the gas was in the tank and it was just a matter of time," MacArthur maintained.

They will need both the style they showed the week before and the fighting spirit from the weekend to stand a chance in Paris, but an away win in the opening round would set them on their way to making more history.