The Gloucester captain Phil Vickery has told his side to prove they are capable of toppling the Zurich Premiership champions Leicester as the West Country challengers prepare to open their season at Harlequins today.

Gloucester are being tipped in certain quarters as the team most likely to end Leicester's dominance of English rugby - the Tigers have won the last four league titles and such was their authority last year, they virtually had the league wrapped up by Christmas.

But the England prop Vickery needs to see with his own eyes that his troops are worthy contenders. "There has been a lot of talk about Gloucester in the media, but we have achieved nothing yet," he said.

"We have got to turn ourselves from pretenders to contenders. We know that we have got to make a good start. Teams will experience peaks and troughs in terms of form, but we must try and move through unscathed."

"Everybody is very nervous because we know what is at stake. The talking has stopped and we can now get on with it. We want to hit the ground running."

Vickery has also warned his side against complacency at Harlequins today: "The important thing is we get out there and play well," he said. "The Stoop is a very hard place to get a win, and this weekend will be no exception."