KEVIN YATES says on-the-up Saracens can make a massive impact in the Heineken Cup this season following their blistering start to the Premiership campaign.

Only individual errors in their defeats to Gloucester and Sale cost the Men in Black the chance to make it six wins from six, while they are on the verge of a EDF Energy Cup semi-final after thrashing Leeds and Bristol.

It is no surprise, therefore than Alan Gaffney's men head into tomorrow's (Sunday's) Heineken Cup showdown against familiar foes Glasgow Warriors (3pm kick off) brimming with confidence and know a win would set things up nicely for the following weekend's acid test at 2005/06 finalists Biarritz.

There is a genuine belief in the camp that Sarries can qualify for the knock-out stages for the first time, although hard taskmaster Yates would regard that as little more than a consolation effort. Understandable coming from a man who helped Bath become the first British club to be crowned kings of Europe after they beat Brive during the 1997/98 season. While he was not involved in the final, the England prop played his part in laying the path to glory and he is now out to do the same for Saracens.

"The Heineken Cup is the bread and butter as you always want to play the big teams and test yourself against the best," said Yates, who turned 35 on Tuesday."Qualifying for the competition was one of our main goals last season and we've now got the opportunity to get out there and show what we can do.

"You always want to qualify for the knock-out stages in any competition and that's got to be our goal in this one. Once you've reached that stage, it's anyone's game. However, you can never be happy going into a competition saying qualifying from the group is all we want. We go into each game looking to win, we want to win it (the cup) and that's the attitude we have. Without that (winning mentality) what is the point of being in it?"

Yates, who returns to the starting line-up for the Glasgow test, says the element of surprise playing against cross-border and overseas teams is one of the reasons why the Heineken Cup extracts a child-like excitement even from the game's toughest characters.

"You are playing teams you don't know a lot about as you don't play them every week," added the loose-head. "You don't have the knowledge on their players and the way they play. This tests you in different ways as you want to do well against your opposite number and challenge yourself. It also presents the team with a different challenge."

Yates is supremely confident Sarries now have what it takes to hold their own in both cup competitions and the league, and he puts that down to stability across the board.

"Before I came to Saracens the club did not keep the same squad together for more than a year," he commented. "The same goes for the coaching side. But all that has changed in the past few years and we now have continuity at the club. You are starting to see the success of that and long may it continue.

"We've kept the majority of the squad together for three years and have competition in all 15 positions, which is fantastic. Every time you go out onto the pitch you've got to play your heart out if you want to carry the flag the following week. So to be able to compete in all three competitions is a major step forward for the club."

While his main focus is on beating Glasgow, Yates knows the following game against Biarritz will give a much clearer indication of what plateau Saracens have reached since they were last in the competition the season before last.

"Winning is what it's all about and we've certainly got a squad together to achieve things this year," said Yates. "Success breeds success and there is a good buzz about the squad at the moment.

"I expect the Glasgow game to be close but if we stick to our game plan and produce a solid display, hopefully we will get the result we want.

"As for Biarritz, that game is massive and that's the joy of this competition. It's a fantastic experience for the players, particularly the younger ones. We won one and lost one against Biarritz last time, so they hold no fear for us really. They are beatable at home and we have to go out there and do it."