The Wales hooker was in the side that claimed a late bonus-point in defeat to Ulster at the Kingspan Stadium on Saturday. And with two home matches at fortress Parc Y Scarlets on the horizon, Owens is hoping they can make a late push for a seat at Europe’s top table.
He said: “As players, coaches and supporters we want to be playing in the top competition of European rugby. That’s crucial for us as a squad next season and the way to do that is keep fighting, digging in for that sixth spot.
“We’ve got a decent run of games and if we win all of them you never know we could be pushing for that top four. We’ve just got to go game by game and hopefully pick up the victories as we go along.”
The West Wales region are now six points adrift of Connacht, who occupy the final Champions Cup qualification spot. The Leinstermen have had mixed fortunes against Welsh sides in recent weeks, having lost to the Newport Gwent Dragons at home before they slew the Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium.
And knows just how big of a test they face against the PRO12 champions. He said: “They’re not one of the best teams in Europe for no reason. They’re always there because of the standards they set, the quality of player they’ve got – we know how hard its going to be.
“The Dragons put in a good performance against them a couple of weeks ago and got the result out there and we’ll be looking to do the same thing at home in front of our home fans and finish off this block of four on a massive positive.”
