2001–02 Celtic League

2001–02 Celtic League
Countries	Ireland Scotland Wales
Champions	Leinster (1st title)
Runners-up	Munster
Matches played	56
Attendance	252,213 (average 4,504 per match)
Tries scored	271 (average 4.839 per match)
Top point scorer	David Humphreys (Ulster) 122 points^[1]
Top try scorer	Girvan Dempsey (Leinster) Denis Hickie (Leinster) 7 tries^[2]
Official website
www.rabodirectpro12.com
2002–03 →

The 2001–02 Celtic League was the inaugural season of the Celtic League. The first season would see fifteen teams compete: the four Irish provinces (Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster), two Scottish teams (Edinburgh Reivers and Glasgow) and all nine Welsh Premier Division teams (Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Ebbw Vale, Llanelli, Neath, Newport, Pontypridd and Swansea).

Played alongside each country's own national competitions, the teams were split into two groups (of 8 and 7) and played a series of round-robin matches with each team playing the other only once. The top four teams from each group proceeded into the knock-out phase until a champion was found. Clashes between teams in the 2001-02 Welsh-Scottish League also counted towards the new competition.

The 2001–02 competition was dominated by the Irish teams with all four sides reaching the last eight, three progressing to the semi-finals, and the final played at Lansdowne Road contested between Leinster and Munster with Leinster running out 24–20 winners.

Background

Wales and Scotland had joined forces for the 1999 and 2000 seasons, with the expansion of the Welsh Premier Division to include Edinburgh and Glasgow to form the Welsh-Scottish League.

In 2001, an agreement was made between the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) and Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) to create a new competition which would bring in the four Irish provinces. 2001 would see the very first incarnation of the Celtic League.

Teams

Team	Stadium	Capacity	City, Area
Bridgend	Brewery Field	6,000	Bridgend, Wales
Caerphilly	Virginia Park	5,000	Caerphilly, Wales
Cardiff	Cardiff Arms Park	12,500	Cardiff, Wales
Connacht	Galway Sportsgrounds	6,000	Galway, Republic of Ireland
Ebbw Vale	Eugene Cross Park	8,000	Ebbw Vale, Wales
Edinburgh	Myreside	5,500	Edinburgh, Scotland
Glasgow	Hughenden Stadium	6,000	Glasgow, Scotland
Leinster	Donnybrook Stadium	6,000	Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Llanelli	Stradey Park	10,800	Llanelli, Wales
Munster	Thomond Park Musgrave Park	13,200 8,500	Limerick, Republic of Ireland Cork, Republic of Ireland
Neath	The Gnoll	6,000	Neath, Wales
Newport	Rodney Parade	11,676	Newport, Wales
Pontypridd	Sardis Road	7,861	Pontypridd, Wales
Swansea	St Helen's	4,500	Swansea, Wales
Ulster	Ravenhill	12,300	Belfast, Northern Ireland

Pool stage

The teams were split into two pools and the pool stage consisted of a single round-robin - each team played the other teams in its pool once only.

Pool A Table

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	Pts
1	Leinster	7	7	0	0	281	114	+167	35	8	21
2	Ulster	7	4	1	2	194	157	+37	19	17	13
3	Glasgow	7	4	1	2	204	172	+32	25	17	13
4	Llanelli	7	4	0	3	175	123	+52	14	7	12
5	Swansea	7	3	0	4	124	158	−34	9	12	9
6	Bridgend	7	3	0	4	161	208	−47	17	25	9
7	Pontypridd	7	1	0	6	111	207	−96	8	25	3
8	Ebbw Vale	7	1	0	6	134	245	−111	13	29	3
Match points were awarded as follows: 3 points for a win 1 point for a draw
Green background (rows 1 to 4) qualify for the knock-out stage. Source: RaboDirect PRO12

Pool A Fixtures

17 August 2001
19:15

Bridgend	19 – 27	Pontypridd
	Report

Brewery Field
Attendance: 3,500

17 August 2001
19:30

Ulster	30 – 13	Swansea
	Report

Ravenhill
Attendance: 6,000

17 August 2001
19:35

Leinster	39 – 11	Glasgow
Try: Girvan Dempsey Gordon D'Arcy Andrew Dunne Con: Brian O'Meara x 3 Pen: Brian O'Meara x 6	Preview Preview Report Report Report Report	Try: Andy Nicol Pen: Tommy Hayes x 2

Donnybrook Stadium
Attendance: 4,500
Referee: Paul Adams (Wales)

18 August 2001
18:00

Llanelli	46 – 16	Ebbw Vale
	Report

Stradey Park
Attendance: 3,000

24 August 2001
19:05

Llanelli	17 – 19	Leinster
	Report

Stradey Park
Attendance: 4,000

24 August 2001
19:30

Ebbw Vale	18 – 13	Pontypridd
	Report

Eugene Cross Park
Attendance: 3,000

24 August 2001
19:30

Glasgow	25 – 25	Ulster
Try: Gordon Simpson x 2 Andy Nicol Con: Tommy Hayes x 2 Pen: Tommy Hayes James McLaren	Preview Preview Preview Report Report Report	Try: Paddy Wallace Ryan Constable Russell Nelson Con: Paddy Wallace David Humphreys Pen: David Humphreys x 2

Hughenden Stadium
Attendance: 6,095
Referee: N Whitehouse (Wales)

25 August 2001
18:00

Swansea	16 – 25	Bridgend
	Report

St Helen's

28 August 2001
19:00

Leinster	55 – 13	Ebbw Vale
	Report

Donnybrook
Attendance: 3,200

28 August 2001
19:00

Ulster	26 – 27	Llanelli
	Report

Ravenhill
Attendance: 8,000

28 August 2001
19:15

Pontypridd	6 – 11	Swansea
	Report

Sardis Road
Attendance: 4,000

29 August 2001
19:00

Bridgend	50 – 15	Glasgow
Try: Adrian Durston Gareth Thomas x 2 Gareth Jones Maama Molitika Con: Cerith Rees x 5 Pen: Cerith Rees x 5	Preview Report Report Report Report Report	Try: James Craig Roland Reid Con: Barry Irving Pen: Barry Irving

Brewery Field
Attendance: 4,300

31 August 2001
19:30

Glasgow	59 – 14	Pontypridd
Try: Glenn Metcalfe Tommy Hayes Roland Reid x 3 Jason White James McLaren Jon Steel Lee Harrison Con: Tommy Hayes x 7	Preview Report Report Report Report Report	Try: Gareth Wyatt Dale McIntosh Con: Alex Lawson Ceri Sweeney

Hughenden Stadium
Attendance: 4,110
Referee: A Rolland (Ireland)

31 August 2001
19:35

Leinster	31 – 9	Ulster
	Report

Donnybrook

1 September 2001
14:30

Ebbw Vale	21 – 26	Swansea
	Report

Eugene Cross Park
Attendance: 3,500

1 September 2001
14:30

Llanelli	36 – 3	Bridgend
	Report

Stradey Park
Attendance: 3,000

7 September 2001
19:05

Ebbw Vale	27 – 29	Ulster
	Report

Eugene Cross Park
Attendance: 2,000

8 September 2001
14:30

Pontypridd	17 – 19	Llanelli
	Report

Sardis Road
Attendance: 5,000

8 September 2001
14:30

Swansea	13 – 21	Glasgow
	Report

St Helen's
Attendance: 2,500

8 September 2001
19:30

Bridgend	32 – 51	Leinster
	Report

Brewery Field
Attendance: 2,650

11 September 2001
19:00

Leinster	52 – 14	Pontypridd
	Report

Donnybrook
Attendance: 3,056

11 September 2001
19:05

Llanelli	21 – 27	Swansea
	Report

Stradey Park
Attendance: 4,500

11 September 2001
19:30

Glasgow	58 – 22	Ebbw Vale
	Report

Hughenden
Attendance: 2,179

12 September 2001
19:30

Ulster	46 – 14	Bridgend
	Report

Ravenhill
Attendance: 8,000

14 September 2001
19:30

Glasgow	15 – 9	Llanelli
	Report

Hughenden
Attendance: 5,375

15 September 2001
14:30

Ebbw Vale	17 – 18	Bridgend
	Report

Eugene Cross Park
Attendance: 2,800

15 September 2001
14:30

Pontypridd	20 – 29	Ulster
	Report

Sardis Road
Attendance: 3,200

15 September 2001
14:30

Swansea	18 – 34	Leinster
	Report

St Helen's
Attendance: 4,000

Pool B Table

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	Pts
1	Munster	6	5	0	1	228	120	+108	23	9	15
2	Connacht	6	4	0	2	152	97	+55	16	8	12
3	Neath	6	4	0	2	151	116	+35	14	10	12
4	Newport	6	3	0	3	147	109	+38	15	10	9
5	Cardiff	6	3	0	3	128	135	−7	15	15	9
6	Edinburgh	6	2	0	4	134	159	−25	11	16	6
7	Caerphilly	6	0	0	6	88	292	−204	11	37	0
Match points were awarded as follows: 3 points for a win 1 point for a draw
Green background (rows 1 to 4) qualify for the knock-out stage. Source: RaboDirect PRO12

Pool B Fixtures

17 August 2001
19:30

Edinburgh	22 – 25	Munster
	Report

Myreside
Attendance: 5,410

18 August 2001
14:30

Caerphilly	13 – 43	Neath
	Report

Virginia Park
Attendance: 3,500

18 August 2001
14:30

Cardiff	3 – 6	Connacht
	Report

Cardiff Arms Park
Attendance: 4,000

24 August 2001
18:15

Connacht	21 – 30	Edinburgh
	Report

Sportsground
Attendance: 1,800

24 August 2001
19:00

Neath	25 – 14	Cardiff
	Report

The Gnoll
Attendance: 5,000

25 August 2001
14:30

Newport	50 – 22	Caerphilly
	Report

Rodney Parade
Attendance: 6,260

28 August 2001
19:30

Edinburgh	20 – 32	Neath
	Report

Myreside
Attendance: 3,075

28 August 2001
19:35

Munster	40 – 19	Connacht
	Report

Thomond Park
Attendance: 6,000

29 August 2001
19:00

Cardiff	20 – 14	Newport
	Report

Cardiff Arms Park
Attendance: 7,500

31 August 2001
19:05

Neath	30 – 22	Munster
	Report

The Gnoll
Attendance: 2,250

1 September 2001
14:30

Caerphilly	15 – 49	Cardiff
	Report

Virginia Park
Attendance: 1,900

1 September 2001
14:30

Newport	29 – 11	Edinburgh
	Report

Rodney Parade
Attendance: 6,164

7 September 2001
18:15

Connacht	28 – 10	Neath
	Report

Sportsground
Attendance: 550

7 September 2001
19:30

Edinburgh	27 – 20	Caerphilly
	Report

Myreside
Attendance: 2,648

7 September 2001
19:35

Munster	29 – 21	Newport
	Report

Musgrave Park
Attendance: 4,560

11 September 2001
19:15

Caerphilly	18 – 61	Munster
	Report

Virginia Park
Attendance: 1,500

11 September 2001
19:15

Cardiff	32 – 24	Edinburgh
	Report

Cardiff Arms Park
Attendance: 5,000

11 September 2001
19:30

Newport	14 – 16	Connacht
	Report

Rodney Parade
Attendance: 5,821

15 September 2001
13:30

Munster	51 – 10	Cardiff
	Report

Musgrave Park
Attendance: 6,055

15 September 2001
17:30

Neath	11 – 19	Newport
	Report

The Gnoll

16 September 2001
15:00

Connacht	62 – 0	Caerphilly
	Report

Sportsground
Attendance: 455

Knockout stages

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals		Final

30 November 2001 - Donnybrook

Leinster	34
		7 December 2001 - Lansdowne Road
Newport	22
		Leinster	35
1 December 2001 - Sportsground
		Glasgow	13
Connacht	29
				15 December 2001 - Lansdowne Road
Glasgow	34
				Leinster	24
1 December 2001 - Thomond Park
				Munster	20
Munster	13
		8 December 2001 - Lansdowne Road
Llanelli	6
		Munster	15
30 November 2011 - Ravenhill
		Ulster	9
Ulster	38

Neath	29

Quarter finals

30 November 2001
19:05

Ulster	38 – 29	Neath
	Report

Ravenhill
Attendance: 12,000

30 November 2001
19:35

Leinster	34 – 22	Newport
	Report

Donnybrook
Attendance: 7,300

1 December 2001
14:00

Connacht	29 – 34	Glasgow
	Report

Sportsground

1 December 2001
17:30

Munster	13 – 6	Llanelli
	Report

Thomond Park

Semi finals

7 December 2001
19:30

Leinster	35 – 13	Glasgow
	Report

Lansdowne Road
Attendance: 5,500

8 December 2001
15:00

Munster	15 – 9	Ulster
	Report

Lansdowne Road
Attendance: 12,500

Final

15 December 2001
15:00

Leinster	24 - 20	Munster
Try: Gordon D'Arcy Shane Horgan Con: Nathan Spooner Pen: Nathan Spooner (4)	Report	Try: Anthony Foley John O'Neill Anthony Horgan Con: Ronan O'Gara Pen: Ronan O'Gara

Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Nigel Whitehouse (Wales)


	15	Girvan Dempsey
	14	Denis Hickie
	13	Brian O'Driscoll
	12	Shane Horgan
	11	Gordon D'Arcy
	10	Nathan Spooner
	9	Brian O'Meara
	8	Victor Costello
	7	Keith Gleeson
	6	Eric Miller - sent off
	5	Malcolm O'Kelly
	4	Leo Cullen
	3	Paul Wallace
	2	Shane Byrne
	1	Reggie Corrigan (c)
Replacements:
	16	Bob Casey
Coach:
Matt Williams


	15	Dominic Crotty
	14	Anthony Horgan
	13	John Kelly
	12	Rob Henderson
	11	John O'Neill
	10	Ronan O'Gara
	9	Mike Prendergast
	8	Anthony Foley
	7	Alan Quinlan
	6	Jim Williams
	5	Paul O'Connell
	4	Mick Galwey (c)
	3	Peter Clohessy
	2	Frankie Sheahan
	1	Marcus Horan
Replacements:
	16	Martin Cahill
	17	Mick O'Driscoll
	18	Colm McMahon
Coach:
Declan Kidney

Leading scorers

Note: Flags to the left of player names indicate national team as has been defined under IRB eligibility rules, or primary nationality for players who have not yet earned international senior caps. Players may hold one or more non-IRB nationalities.

Top points scorers

Rank	Player	Club	Points^[1]
1	David Humphreys	Ulster	122
2	Tommy Hayes	Glasgow	111
3	Lee Jarvis	Neath	100
4	Nathan Spooner	Leinster	97
5	Stephen Jones	Llanelli	89

Top try scorers

Rank	Player	Club	Tries^[2]
1	Girvan Dempsey	Leinster	7
1	Denis Hickie	Leinster	7
3	Craig Hudson	Cardiff	6
3	Wayne Munn	Connacht	6
5	Mike Mullins	Munster	5

External links

Notes

References

1 2 "Leading Points-Scorers". RaboDirect PRO12. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
1 2 "Leading Try-Scorers". RaboDirect PRO12. Retrieved 13 November 2013.

Pro12

Teams

Benetton Treviso Cardiff Blues Connacht Edinburgh Glasgow Warriors Leinster Munster Newport Gwent Dragons Ospreys Scarlets Ulster Zebre

Former	Bridgend Caerphilly Cardiff Ebbw Vale Llanelli Neath Newport Pontypridd Swansea

Defunct	Aironi Border Reivers Celtic Warriors

Grounds

Seasons

Celtic League	2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11

Pro12	2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

Grand Finals

Winners

2002: Leinster
2003: Munster
2004: Scarlets
2005: Ospreys
2006: Ulster
2007: Ospreys
2008: Leinster
2009: Munster
2010: Ospreys
2011: Munster
2012: Ospreys
2013: Leinster
2014: Leinster
2015: Glasgow Warriors
2016: Connacht

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