Image source, Getty Images

Dan Carter gets us up and running.

His tee-off is safely claimed by Saracens and Richard Wigglesworth box-kicks back into French territory.

Image source, Getty Images

The teams are in the tunnel.

The tannoy man gives a countdown in both English and French.

And then both sides emerge into French sun amid pyrotechnics and dry ice.

Saracens at a determined trudge, Racing at a twitchy trot.

Kick-off next.

England's World Cup winner Neil Back is backing Saracens...

That's Arsenal Ladies' Danielle Carter who scored the winner against Chelsea in the FA Cup earlier. It was a belter of a goal too...

Tony Pickthall: I would love to see Sony Bill Williams plying his trade on these shores. In either code. But only Union has the money!

Image source, Getty Images

Ali Williams
Former New Zealand lock on Radio 5 live

"Ronan O'Gara's role has stepped up this year, he has got a lot more involved and more of a voice working with Dan Carter. The two of them are having a huge impact. You can see O'Gara's influence on the backline of Racing, he is hugely influential."

Former Ireland fly-half Ronan O'Gara is an assistant coach at Racing.

Racing 92: B Dulin; J Rokocoko, J Goosen, A Dumoulin, J Imhoff; D Carter, M Machenaud; E Ben Arous, D Szarzewski (capt), B Tameifuna, L Charteris, F Van der Merwe, W Lauret, B Le Roux, C Masoe.

Replacements: V Lacombe, K Vartanov, L Ducalon, M Carizza, A Claassen, M Phillips, R Tales, H Chavancy.

Saracens: A Goode; C Ashton, D Taylor, B Barritt (capt), C Wyles; O Farrell, R Wigglesworth; M Vunipola, S Brits, P du Plessis, M Itoje, G Kruis, M Rhodes, W Fraser, B Vunipola.

Replacements: J George, R Barrington, J Figallo, J Hamilton, J Wray, B Spencer, C Hodgson, M Bosch.

Image source, Rex Features

Never mind the 10s, everywhere you look in today's teams there is intrigue and interest though.

How will Saracens' much-improved number eight Billy Vunipola fare against gnarled old warrior Chris Masoe?

Who will make the most yard from the front row? The side-stepping Schalk Brits or the bull-dozing Ben Tameifuna?

Will the Juan Imhoff, a purring Rolls Royce of a winger, or the streetwise stockcar that is Chris Ashton prove decisive?

Here are your full line-ups...

Jacques Burger - an absolute totem in the Saracens back row - retired from the sport earlier this month.

Saracens are aiming to become the first team in history to win all nine games in a European campaign.  

Racing lost to Glasgow Warriors and drew with Northampton in the group stages.

Image source, .

Image source, Getty Images

By the way, news from Australia this morning and it makes grim reading for Wasps fans and officials.

Kurtley Beale has suffered a serious knee injury less than a day after Wasps announced they would sign the Australia back.

The 27-year-old was hurt in the first minute of NSW Waratahs' Super Rugby victory over the Bulls and it is feared that he has ruptured a patellar tendon. 

If so, he could face up to a year out.

Image source, Getty Images

In light of Racing 92's big spending and on the day after Kurtley Beale become the Premiership's highest-paid player on a reported £750,000-a-year at Wasps, we also want to know which player in world rugby you would break the bank for.

Quality, flair, entertainment value, whatever brings in the crowds and a smile to your face.

Jeremy Guscott
Former England centre

Image source, Getty Images

"Dan Carter is rugby's Yoda. The former All Black has won the lot - two World Cups, three world player of the year awards, the list goes on.

"England's Owen Farrell is Luke Skywalker to continue the Star Wars Jedi comparison, the youngster making his way in the game.

"Carter has everything you could wish to have in a fly-half: he's got knowledge of the game, the skillset, deceptive pace, the mental ability and the physical toughness.

"For years in the England camp they've talked about players saying 'if only he was a mixture of X, Y and Z he would be the ideal fly-half'. What they meant was, he'd be Dan Carter.

"There is nothing Carter lacks and the only negative is his age. At 34 he's not as quick as he once was and he doesn't put the hits in like he could when he was a young man - although there was nothing wrong with his defence against Leicester in the semis.

"One of his greatest abilities is to up the pace of the game - he goes from slow to super-fast in the blink of an eye, which means the opposition defence is always on edge."

Image source, Getty Images

Wow.

By contrast Owen Farrell has just, just,  412 Test points.

He is however 10 years younger than Carter at 24.

No doubt about how this one is being sold in the Saturday sport supplements.

It has been boiled down to a fly-half battle between Racing 92's kingpin Dan Carter and England's young pretender Owen Farrell.

Farrell has landed more kicks than any other player in the competition, nailing 41 from 57 with no-one else managing even 25.

Carter however has the best success rate of any serious kicker in the competition, landing 23 from 24.

Their duel is about plenty more than the boot leather though...

Image source, Getty

In honour of Saracens' globe-trotting team-building jaunts we are after your most memorable travels with your own team.

The ones that still have you grinning/shuddering at the mere thought years later.

What goes on tour, goes on a tweet to #bbcrugby,, external a post to the BBC Sport Facebook, external page or a text to 81111.