But Edinburgh currently top the Magners League table, while Glasgow are also confident they can progress beyond the Heineken Cup group phase.

Both provinces triumphed in France for the first time last season, against Castres and Toulouse, respectively, and Blair insisted those victories had been felt across Europe.

“Scottish teams have gained a lot more respect from opposition sides in the Heineken Cup, whether they be from France, England, Italy, Ireland or Wales,” he said.

“They respect the developments and progress we have made. Teams are starting to sit up and take notice of what we’re doing.

“I don’t want to harp on too much about the Glasgow win in Toulouse last season but that was one of the key things that made Europe realise Scottish teams can play a bit.”

Edinburgh open their Heineken Cup campaign at Stade Francais on October 10 and Blair revealed confidence is high as they prepare to meet the French heavyweights.

“We’ve made a lot of progress. We lost at the weekend but we’d won nine games on the trot in the Magners League before that,” he said.

“We have a young squad that is making progress - last season we had our first win in France when we beat Castres.

“We found ourselves becoming more and more competitive in Heineken Cup matches, which is something we couldn’t say six or seven years ago.

“We’re building consistency at every level.

“We have a tough pool. Ulster we know well from the Magners League.

“Bath, we’ve come up against a few times, while our first trip to Paris will be a real experience for us.”