We’re confident we can finally end trophy drought, says Owens

SINCE the Scarlets last won a trophy, you could have trained from scratch to be a barrister, packed it in and retrained as a dentist and still had time to draw up plans for a year-long sabbatical wandering the world.

For sure, those 4,733 days have been tough to endure for all connected with the West Wales region.

No one in Llanelli is getting carried away by how this season has unfolded so far.

But there was a quiet confidence at their weekly press call and skipper Ken Owens, who made his Scarlets debut a decade ago, believes it is long overdue for the region’s silverware drought to end.

“When Wayne Pivac came in and made me captain, that was one of the first things I spoke to him about,” said Owens ahead of the game with Connacht in Galway on Saturday.

“I told him we’d never won a trophy in my time here.

“Before then, we’d had a big history of winning things and it’s about time we started to bring some silverware back here.

“We had a poor start, losing our first three games, but since then we have put ourselves in a strong position.

“We’ve won 15 of our last 17 in the league and are now in third position.

“So it’s in our hands to qualify for the top four.”

It hasn’t been easy for the Scarlets or any of the other regions over the years, operating against significantly better-funded rivals.

The Scarlets have also had to contend with a move from Stradey Park.

But this season they have hit a high standard and largely stayed there, including wins over Leinster, Ulster and Munster as they have recovered from the shakiest of starts.

“There have been a lot of difficult times over the years in terms of changing players and coaches, and a lot of off-field issues such as moving stadiums,” said Owens. “But we’re in a decent spot now. “We’ve had a lot of continuity on and off the field over the past three years and you are seeing the benefits of that in terms of how we’ve developed.

“We’re in a good place and have seen a gradual improvement”

Nonetheless, the Scarlets are taking nothing for granted heading for Connacht, having lost the corresponding fixture last season. “We’re expecting the same as always,” said Owens.

“Not only do they have a strong set-piece, they also have exciting backs and they pass the ball more than any other side in the league.

“They will also want to give Pat Lam a send-off in his final home game for them in the league.

“The place has changed dramatically over the past 10 years. A decade ago, you’d have one man and his dog watching.”