Saints will find out their Heineken Cup fate when the draw for the 2013/14 competition takes place in Dublin on June 5.
Jim Mallinder’s men have been placed in Tier 2 alongside Harlequins, Cardiff Blues, Saracens, Leicester Tigers and Perpignan.
It means they will meet one of Leinster, Toulouse, Clermont Auvergne, Ulster, Munster or reigning champions Toulon, who are all in Tier 1, in the pool stages,
And there could be a rapid reunion with former prop idols Soane Tonga’uiha and Brian Mujati, whose cash-rish Racing Metro outfit lurk ominously in Tier 4.
Saints were eliminated at the pool stages of last season’s competition, losing to Castres, Ulster and Glasgow along the way.
But they did manage to beat the Irish side on their own turf, claiming a memorable 10-9 win at Ravenhill in December.
2013/14 Heineken Cup clubs and tiers
Tier 1: Leinster Rugby, Toulon, Toulouse, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Ulster Rugby, Munster Rugby
Tier 2: Saints, Harlequins, Cardiff Blues, Saracens, Leicester Tigers, Perpignan
Tier 3: Edinburgh Rugby, Ospreys, Scarlets, Glasgow Warriors, Montpellier, Connacht Rugby
Tier 4: Gloucester Rugby, Castres Olympique, Racing Metro 92, Exeter Chiefs, Benetton Treviso, Zebre