Triumph in the Guinness Premiership title last season was undoubtedly the pinnacle in Sale Sharks' history but their Director of rugby is hoping to show the whole of Manchester why his side are regarded as one of the country's leading sides by winning the Heineken Cup.
Sharks start their quest to claim Europe's most prestigious club prize by travelling to Swansea tonight to face Ospreys in their Pool Three opener.
Saint-Andre said: "The people in Manchester need to know that we are one of the best teams in England.
"We are similar to United, in that they need to do well in the Champions League each season and at least reach the semi-finals to be considered successful. Rugby is exactly the same.
"We won the Premiership last year but if we want to be one of the best in the world, we need to win the Heineken Cup - the best competition in northern hemisphere rugby.
"The club has made huge strides since it turned professional, and, as the team has improved, rugby has grown in this area.
"This season we have crowds of around 10,000 but it used to be only 600 or 700.
"It would great for ourselves and the supporters if we won the trophy and would raise our profile even more."
Talking to MEN Sport - just after he had presented Audenshaw School with a cheque of é5,000 to support their rugby programme - Saint-Andre was optimistic of his side's chances.
Important
He said: "This competition is very, very important and I think we have a good chance of winning it.
"Last year we played very well but were unlucky to lose in the quarter-final.
"We only lost two games and they were to the two sides which ended up in the final - Munster and Biarritz.
"But we beat Munster in the pool stage so we know we can beat the top sides.
"Our ambition this season is to improve from last year and try to win as much silverware as possible. We are focused on each game and hopefully we will finish as both Premiership and European champions."
With Sharks among the favourites to lift the trophy, the Frenchman realises the importance of getting their campaign off to a flying start at the Liberty Stadium.
He said: "It is vital to start with a win because we are in a very difficult group.
"Ospreys are a very strong team, one of the best in Celtic League, and have lots of world-class players and internationals in their squad.
"They have talented players in all positions but the half back pairing of Gavin Henson and Justin Marshall is particularly strong.
"After that we also have to play Stade Francais at the Parc de Princes in December in front of 50,000 fans.
"That will be very difficult because they are the best team in France - at the moment they are 11 points in front of second-place in the league.
"It is a tough opening but if we want to reach the quarter-finals, we need to win four or five games in the pool stage. So a win tonight is key."
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