Scarlets head coach Wayne Pivac is confident his side’s determination to win a trophy this season will ensure there is no loss of focus ahead of his move to the Wales job.
Pivac was named as Warren Gatland‘s successor last month but will not take charge until after next year’s World Cup.
The New Zealander will start his fifth and final season at Llanelli when they take on Ulster on September 1 and he is aiming to go out on a high after losing out to Leinster in both the Guinness PRO14 final and the European Cup semi-finals last term.
And the 56-year-old, who led Scarlets to the PRO12 title in 2017, does not expect his future commitment to Wales to get in the way.
“That’s more of a challenge behind the scenes, just managing time really,” Pivac said. “I have sort of parked that now.
“It’s nice to know early what’s happening going forward but certainly the focus is this season with the Scarlets and making sure that we do the best we can with the players we have got this year.
“We would dearly love to make it three PRO14 finals in a row and try to improve on the performance we put out against Leinster in the season just gone.
“You want to leave the place in better shape than we found it, and I think we are going to do that, and we would dearly like to repeat what we did last year in both competitions, but more importantly try to win a trophy.”
Scarlets captain Ken Owens insists there is no chance of his players taking their eye off the ball knowing that their head coach is due to leave.
The Wales hooker said: “Everybody’s got pride in themselves and what they do. That’s been our biggest thing: everyone is accountable for their own standards and they don’t let them slip themselves. It’s pretty easy for me as a captain because all the boys just get on with it.
“Wayne is obviously moving on at the end of the season and the boys have hardly spoken about it. It’s just all about the here and now of getting the job done and making sure we perform and do what we need to do to win rugby matches.”
