Scarlets face 'Test match' scenario in Treviso says Wayne Pivac

Scarlets have beaten Treviso in their last three encounters

Scarlets head coach Wayne Pivac says they must take a "Test-match mentality" into Saturday's Pro12 trip to Treviso.

The west Wales region are in pole position to finish sixth in the table, which would give them automatic entry to the 2015-16 European Champions Cup.

"Next week will be a Test-match mentality," said the New Zealander.

"It's just winning by one point... if we win by one more than that and release the pressure, fantastic, but it's about getting a result."

Pivac says the fact that Treviso, despite being second from bottom in the rankings, are also aiming to secure top-flight European rugby next season gives the game an added edge.

Likewise bottom club Zebre travel to Cardiff Blues in the final regular season round, in which all games kick off at 15:00 BST, hoping to finish above Treviso and take Italy's automatic spot.

If Scarlets take a point from the trip to Treviso they will finish above eighth-placed Edinburgh, no matter how the Scottish team fare against Leinster.

Connacht, in seventh, can also overtake Scarlets if they beat Ospreys in Galway.

Ospreys themselves will be bidding to ensure a home semi-final in the play-offs via a big win.

Pivac added: "It's not about scoring four tries-plus [for a bonus point], it's about winning a game of rugby. That's what the week's going to be about.

"Clearly we'll want to look after the ball a lot better than we did against Blues."

A bonus-point win over Blues would have meant Scarlets being unassailable in sixth, but instead they had to settle for a 16-6 win in Llanelli.

"It would have been nice to have had it finished this weekend, but we always thought it would come down to the very last game," said Pivac.

"And it's just fantastic for the competition. When you look at it everyone's got something to play for, every match there's something on it.

"And right down to the Blues at home next weekend against Zebre, with Zebre trying to qualify for Europe.

"That makes our opponent dangerous next week too, because they will be looking over their shoulder and they know that points against us will secure a spot for them.

"So we live to fight another day, really."

Pivac says his side "made it hard" for themselves against Blues before captain Ken Owens was driven over for the game's decisive try.

"That first half, I thought we had dominated the stats in terms of possession and field position," he said.

"At one point we had turned over 73% of our own ball with about 15 to 20 minutes to go in that first half.

"So it wasn't the best start in terms of building phases, which we were trying to do."