Celtic Cup
SportRugby union
Instituted2003
Inaugural season2003–04
Ceased2004–05
Number of teams12 (2003–04), 8 (2004–05)
NationsIreland Ireland
 Scotland
 Wales
HoldersMunster (2004–05)
Most titlesMunster
Ulster (1 title)
Broadcast partnerBBC
Related competitionCeltic League

The Celtic Cup was a rugby union cup competition featuring regional and provincial teams from Ireland, Scotland and Wales that ran for two seasons between 2003 and 2005. The first edition of the competition was won by Ulster and the second by Munster, both from Ireland. After the Welsh teams agreed to join the English Premiership clubs to form the Anglo-Welsh Cup for the 2005–06 season, the Celtic Cup was discontinued. A separate competition under the same name was inaugurated in 2018 for Welsh and Irish development sides.

Formation

Following the inception of Welsh regional rugby ahead of the 2003–04 season, the format of the Celtic League tournament was changed so that each team would play each other twice, home and away, with the side that accumulated the most points during the season winning the title. This was a change from previous seasons, which culminated in a knock-out format competition leading to a final. In a bid to attract broadcasters, sponsors and the public by having a "showpiece" final, the Irish, Scottish and Welsh unions agreed to launch a new knock-out cup competition, naming it the Celtic Cup.[1]

2003–04 season

In the inaugural season, the competition was contested by all 12 Celtic League sides and ran concurrently with the league on four weekends between September and December 2003. The tournament was a knock-out format, played over one leg with the first team drawn in each fixture hosting the match. Due to the number of teams competing, eight teams contested the first round in mid-September, while four teams (Edinburgh, Munster, Ulster and Cardiff Blues) were given byes to the quarter-finals, where they would meet the winners from the first round.[2] The winning teams from the first round were Connacht, Glasgow, Leinster and the Llanelli Scarlets.

The quarter-finals took place on the first weekend of October, with Edinburgh, Glasgow and Connacht winning their games. Ulster and Leinster drew their game 23–23 after extra time, but Ulster progressed having scored three tries to Leinster's two.[3] The semi-finals took place in mid-November and saw both the away teams win, as Ulster beat Glasgow and Edinburgh beat Connacht. The final was played at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on 20 December 2003, and saw Ulster beat Edinburgh 27–21 to win the Celtic Cup.[4]

 
Preliminary roundQuarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
              
 
20 September – Llanelli
 
 
Wales Llanelli Scarlets40
 
3 October – Llanelli
 
Wales NG Dragons6
 
Wales Llanelli Scarlets12
 
19 September – Galway
 
Ireland Connacht14
 
Ireland Connacht26
 
15 November – Galway
 
Scotland Borders21
 
Ireland Connacht25
 
 
Scotland Edinburgh26
 
 
3 October – Edinburgh
 
 
Scotland Edinburgh33
 
 
Wales Cardiff Blues16
 
 
20 December – Edinburgh
 
 
Scotland Edinburgh21
 
20 September – Bridgend
 
Ireland Ulster27
 
Wales Celtic Warriors9
 
3 October – Glasgow
 
Scotland Glasgow19
 
Scotland Glasgow18
 
 
Ireland Munster14
 
 
15 November – Glasgow
 
 
Scotland Glasgow13
 
 
Ireland Ulster20
 
 
3 October – Belfast
 
 
Ireland Ulster23 (3t)
 
20 September – Dublin
 
Ireland Leinster23 (2t)
 
Ireland Leinster35
 
 
Wales Ospreys21
 

Final

20 December 2003
14:30 GMT
Edinburgh Scotland21–27Ireland Ulster
Try: Webster
Lee
Blair
Con: Paterson (3/3)
ReportTry: Best
Frost
Con: Humphreys (1/2)
Pen: Humphreys (5)
Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Attendance: 17,174
Referee: Nigel Williams (Wales)

2004–05 season

The format of the competition was changed for the 2004–05 season. It was moved to April and May to run after the conclusion of the Celtic League competition, and only the top eight teams from the league took part, again in a straight knockout format. The quarter-final fixtures were based on the teams' finishing positions in the Celtic League, with the league winners Neath-Swansea Ospreys hosting the eighth-placed side Ulster, second-placed Munster hosting seventh-placed Edinburgh, third-placed Leinster hosting sixth-placed Glasgow and fourth-placed Newport Gwent Dragons hosting fifth-placed Llanelli Scarlets. In this way, the tournament was similar to a play-off system, although the Celtic League and Celtic Cup remained trophies in their own right.

Rather than continuing with the automatic home advantage for the highest-seeded teams remaining in the semi-finals, the fixtures were instead decided by a draw.[5] Munster beat Leinster in Dublin, and the Scarlets won at home to the Ospreys. The final took place on 14 May at Lansdowne Road and saw Munster beat the Scarlets 27–16 to win the second Celtic Cup.[6]

 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
22 April – Dublin
 
 
Ireland Leinster33
 
29 April – Dublin
 
Scotland Glasgow24
 
Ireland Leinster17
 
22 April – Limerick
 
Ireland Munster23
 
Ireland Munster24
 
6 May – Dublin
 
Scotland Edinburgh14
 
Ireland Munster27
 
22 April – Newport
 
Wales Llanelli Scarlets16
 
Wales NG Dragons19
 
29 April – Llanelli
 
Wales Llanelli Scarlets49
 
Wales Llanelli Scarlets23
 
22 April – Swansea
 
Wales Ospreys15
 
Wales Ospreys23
 
 
Ireland Ulster16
 

Final

14 May 2005
17:30 IST
Munster Ireland27–16Wales Llanelli Scarlets
Try: Horgan 6' c
O'Gara 22' c
Mullins 76' c
Con: O'Gara (3/3)
Pen: O'Gara 39'
Drop: O'Gara 40'
ReportTry: Phillips 34' c
Con: C. Thomas (1/1)
Pen: C. Thomas (3) 12', 42', 59'
Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Attendance: 11,500
Referee: Joel Jutge (France)
FB15Ireland Shaun Payne
RW14England Paul Devlindownward-facing red arrow 64'
OC13Ireland Mike Mullins
IC12Ireland Rob Henderson
LW11Ireland Anthony Horgan
FH10Ireland Ronan O'Gara
SH9Ireland Peter Stringer
N88Ireland Anthony Foley (c)
OF7Ireland David Wallace
BF6Ireland Alan Quinlan
RL5Ireland Paul O'Connell
LL4Ireland Donncha O'Callaghan
TP3Ireland John Hayes
HK2Ireland Frankie Sheahan
LP1Ireland Marcus Horandownward-facing red arrow 28'
Substitutions:
HK16Ireland Jerry Flannery
PR17Scotland Gordon McIlwhamupward-facing green arrow 28'
LK18Ireland Trevor Hogan
FL19Ireland Denis Leamyupward-facing green arrow 64'
SH20Ireland Mike Prendergast
FH21Ireland Paul Burke
CE22England James Storey
Coach:
Australia Alan Gaffney
FB15Wales Barry Davies
RW14Wales Garan Evans
OC13Wales Matthew Watkins
IC12Wales Tal Selley
LW11Tonga Aisea Havilidownward-facing red arrow 55'
FH10Wales Ceiron Thomas
SH9Wales Mike Phillips
N88Wales Andy Powelldownward-facing red arrow 55'
OF7Wales Gavin Thomas
BF6Ireland Simon Easterby (c)
RL5Wales Chris Wyattdownward-facing red arrow 64'
LL4Wales Vernon Cooper
TP3Wales John Davies
HK2Wales Matthew Reesdownward-facing red arrow 70'
LP1Wales Phil John
Substitutions:
PR16Wales David Maddocks
HK17Wales Aled Gravelleupward-facing green arrow 70'
LK18Wales Adam Jonesupward-facing green arrow 64'
FL19Wales Gavin Quinnellupward-facing green arrow 55'
SH20Wales Chris McDonald
FH21Wales Gareth Bowen
WG22Tonga Salesi Finauupward-facing green arrow 55'
Coach:
Wales Gareth Jenkins

Demise

At the end of the 2004–05 season, the Welsh regions signed a deal to join the English Premiership clubs in an Anglo-Welsh Cup competition from the 2005–06 season. With clashing fixtures in the two competitions, the fallout led to the Irish and Scottish sides withdrawing from Celtic competition at the end of May.[7] Talks between the three countries in June led to an agreement to reinstate the Celtic League, but not the Celtic Cup.[8]

For the 2009–10 season, the Celtic League adopted a play-off format similar to that used for the 2004–05 Celtic Cup, but involving the top four teams in the league at the end of the season rather than the top eight. However the Celtic Cup name was not revived and the winners of the play-offs were instead crowned the overall Celtic League champions.[9]

References

  1. "New Celtic League format agreed". BBC Sport. 6 May 2003. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  2. "Celtic rugby's brave new world". BBC Sport. 3 July 2003. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  3. "Ulster earn countback win". BBC Sport. 3 October 2003. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  4. "Ulster hold on for victory". BBC Sport. 20 December 2003. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  5. "Cup draw disappoints the Ospreys". BBC Sport. 22 April 2005. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  6. "Munster 27-16 Scarlets". BBC Sport. 14 May 2005. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  7. "Celtic League season cancelled". ESPNscrum. ESPN Enterprises. 31 May 2005. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  8. "Welsh back in the Celtic fold". ESPNscrum. ESPN Enterprises. 20 June 2005. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  9. Petrie, Richard (29 May 2010). "Leinster 12–17 Ospreys". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
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