Following Ulster the Welsh side face new Italian regional franchises Benetton Treviso and Aironi in the opening month – and Bowe warned of the dangers that lie ahead.

He said: “I always enjoy returning to Belfast and playing at Ravenhill because I had such a great time playing with Ulster.

“But it will be a tough place to start the defence of our Magners League title.

“There’s never an easy game there, so we know that we will have to hit the ground running if we are going to get anything from the game.

“The introduction of the two beefed-up Italian teams is going to make the league stronger and more interesting.

“We face the two Italian teams at home in the opening month and it will be interesting to see the impact they have in the competition.

“Both sides have recruited heavily over the summer and will be keen to get off to a good start.

“Having played Italian sides in recent seasons we appreciate how the game is growing over there, and will certainly be taking nothing for granted against Treviso or Aironi.”