MATT Burke might boast a World Cup winners' medal, but the Australian full-back has still been getting a tingle of excitement about the last eight of the Heineken Cup.

Burke will be part of the Newcastle Falcons side charged with stopping French champions Stade Francais in the auspicious surroundings of the Parc des Princes this afternoon.

At one stage, a knee injury looked like keeping the 32-year-old out of the game but, after returning as a second-half substitute in last weekend's domestic defeat to Bath, he has been ruled fit to take his place in today's starting line-up.

Burke has fond memories of facing French opposition, after his 25-point haul helped Australia overcome their Gallic opponents in 1999's World Cup final.

Only Michael Lynagh can better the 888 points he scored for the Wallabies but, despite earning his place amongst the true rugby greats, the veteran has been delighted to add the Heineken Cup to his impressive CV.

"The Heineken Cup was a big factor in me coming to Newcastle," said Burke, who was offered a move to a number of French clubs before opting to join Newcastle last summer. "The fact that the club had qualified for the competition sealed the deal in a way.

"It's a premier competition, and to play against the likes of Stade Francais is a big coup for any club.

"It's big in the Southern Hemisphere, it has such a great name. Games like this will be of the highest standard and it just goes to show the strength of rugby in Europe and the support it's getting in this neck of the woods.

"The standard of the tournament has been exactly what I expected. It's fast and it's hard."

Surprisingly, Burke has never played in the Parc des Princes but, after experiencing rugby on other French grounds, the Aussie knows exactly what to expect from a capacity 45,000 crowd.

"It's a great place to play," he said. "There will be a packed house in there and the atmosphere in France is always fantastic.

"They love their footy over there and it's going to be a spectacular afternoon.

"I was sat on the sidelines when Australia played France in 1993 -I was injured and didn't play - but the memory of the occasion is there.

"There's no doubt that, when you play in France, it can be tough.

"If the crowd get into it, the home team gets a lift and you can be put in a predicament. You feel as though you are playing the crowd as well.

"But that's when it's down to you to play your own game. If you play good rugby, it quickly calms things down."