HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS CUP A TIMELY REMINDER OF WHAT SCARLETS CAN OFFER
THE Scarlets’ 33-10 victory over Leicester Tigers won’t revive their European Champions Cup challenge but that doesn’t mean it’s not imporant.
In fact, building on their ugly victory over the Dragons last week was the number one priority this weekend.
Leicester left some of their big guns back in the East Midlands but that shouldn’t take away from the manner of the victory.
This was still a Champions Cup clash and the opposition still needed to be put away and the Scarlets were more than happy to oblige.
Wayne Pivac’s side are now trending in the right direction after backto-back victories in 2019. Here are the talking points... their nearest rivals and a thumping from the Cardiff Blues in their own backyard.
You get the impression that that run hurt Ken Owens, perhaps more than we know, perhaps more than anyone.
The Carmarthen-born hooker would run through walls for his region. This was essentially a dead rubber and yet he played like it was a cup final.
He plays with emotion, with his heart on his sleeve. During the defeat to the Blues you could see the frustration etched all over his face.
When he barged his way over the line against Leicester and roared at the crowd, he let out an emotion of a different kind. The kind that let you know this really means something to him.
“He puts so much heart and soul into every performance, whether he’s playing for his club or his country,” said Pivac of Owens.
In the last two weeks he’s played 80 minutes at No. 8 because of the injuries that have blighted the Scarlets and was man of the match against the Tigers.
That tells you everything you need to know about him. He’s a rare breed and every team needs a Ken Owens.
He’s the kind of player that people want to follow, exactly the kind of player who can drag a team out of a rut.