Shane Williams column: Scarlets are on a hiding to nothing in Europe

I fear Welsh interest in next season's European Champions Cup will not last past Christmas. It is bad enough that Wales has only one team in the top club competition. For the first time, the nation's hopes all rest on one team.
But the draw has been brutal on Scarlets. To be picked in the same pool as defending champions Saracens was tough, but to have Toulon as well makes qualification impossible.
By Christmas we will have played four rounds of the pool stage and the chances are that Scarlets, by then, will be out.
I can't imagine Saracens and Toulon are that happy about the draw, either. It seems crazy that the teams who have won the last four European titles between them, and contested a final against each other, could be drawn together at such an early stage.
If there was an example of the gulf in resources in Europe, it is this group.
English and French clubs are leading the way, fuelled by enormous commercial and TV deals, while the Welsh regions struggle to keep up.
It's not just the usual suspects but the likes of Bordeaux, Pau and Exeter who are rising up, looking to emulate what Racing and Toulon have done in recent years.
Saracens are the strongest team in Europe right now and seem to have all the form players of world rugby in Owen Farrell, Mario Itoje and the Vunipola brothers, Mako and Billy.
Toulon are always immense, the galacticos of rugby, and will be fired up to win something next year after coming so close this season, but finishing with nothing. For them, that is just unacceptable.
As for Sale, they have been steadily improving over recent years and especially last year to qualify for Europe. They are really tough to beat in Salford but Scarlets must, at least, target the home match to make sure they don't suffer a whitewash.
If Scarlets can somehow keep their best team on the pitch then there is always the chance of pulling off a shock. We saw Cardiff Blues beat Toulon three years ago, so you never know.
But managing that over six games? I'm not so sure. The difference is the strength in depth. The likes of Toulon can bring seasoned internationals off the bench while the Welsh regions are often introducing kids.
However, Wales should expect some success in the Challenge Cup. Ospreys seem to be pretty happy with their draw, Grenoble, Lyon and Newcastle.
On paper they are three strong sides but the reality is that all three will have more pressing concerns in their domestic leagues and will be focusing on making sure they avoid relegation from either the Premiership or Top14.
Ospreys also have to redeem themselves after a dreadful season when they didn't even finish in the top six of the Pro12, let alone the play-offs.
But they have the squad that can compete come the latter stages of Europe and should be looking to go all the way.
Cardiff Blues have a really interesting group with both Bath and Bristol from just across the Severn Bridge. That should make for some great nights at the Arms Park next season with some bumper crowds.
There's plenty of Welsh connections at Bristol with the likes of Gavin Henson and Ian Evans playing, Jonathan Thomas and Dwayne Peel coaching, and Matthew Morgan moving from Bristol to Cardiff this summer.
But the Blues finished last season strongly and I'm tipping them to do something next season.
Dragons seem to have saved their best rugby for Europe over the past two seasons when they have reached successive semi-finals in the Challenge Cup. It's the opposite to Scarlets who rested players for the Pro12 games.
I think the Dragons should focus on Europe again because they don't yet have the strength to compete for the Pro12 title over the course of a season.
But they are capable of beating Brive and Worcester and should be excited about the prospect of Enisei-STM in Siberia.
In Kingsley Jones, they have probably the one person in Britain who knows something about the Russians after his time there as national coach.