2005–06 Celtic League

2005–06 Celtic League
Countries	Ireland Scotland Wales
Champions	Ulster (1st title)
Runners-up	Leinster
Matches played	110
← 2004–05 2006–07 →

The 2005-06 Celtic League was the third season of the Celtic League since the inception of regional rugby union in Wales. Eleven teams, from three countries participated. The final table was dominated by the Irish, with the top three spots taken by Ulster, Leinster and Munster respectively. The 2005-06 season was the first (and last) season for which the "free weekend" was awarded points for. Due to the odd number of teams participating, for every round of fixtures, one team has a so-called "free weekend". Each time this occurred, the team was awarded four points, so although at the end of the season it did not alter the positions (each team has a guaranteed 8 points), the table is skewed during the season according to the fixtures.

Teams

Team	Stadium (capacity)	City, Area
Border Reivers	Netherdale, 6,000	Galashiels and Hawick, Scotland
Cardiff Blues	Cardiff Arms Park (12,500)	Cardiff, Wales
Connacht	Galway Sportsgrounds (5,500)	Galway, Republic of Ireland
Edinburgh	Murrayfield Stadium (67,800, limited to 12,464 seats in the lower tier of the West Stand for Celtic League games^[1])	Edinburgh, Scotland
Glasgow Warriors	Hughenden Stadium	Glasgow, Scotland
Leinster	RDS Arena (18,500)	Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Llanelli Scarlets	Stradey Park (10,800)	Llanelli, Wales
Munster	Thomond Park (26,500) & Musgrave Park (8,300)	Limerick/Cork, Republic of Ireland
Newport Gwent Dragons	Rodney Parade (12,000)	Newport, Wales
Ospreys	Liberty Stadium (20,500)	Swansea, Wales
Ulster	Ravenhill Stadium (12,800)	Belfast, Northern Ireland

Table

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	Try bonus	Losing bonus	Pts
1	Ulster	22	15	1	4	510	347	+163	49	31	3	2	75
2	Leinster	22	14	0	6	545	427	+118	59	45	8	2	74
3	Munster	22	12	0	8	439	372	+67	49	42	7	3	66
4	Cardiff Blues	22	11	0	9	475	389	+86	51	38	6	5	63
5	Edinburgh	22	11	0	9	418	415	+3	48	45	5	3	60
6	Llanelli Scarlets	22	10	1	9	418	402	+16	49	37	3	4	57
7	Ospreys	22	11	0	9	381	409	−28	33	38	1	2	55
8	Newport Gwent Dragons	22	7	0	13	355	456	−101	40	51	2	7	45
9	Borders Reivers	22	7	0	13	386	501	−115	39	59	1	7	44
10	Connacht	22	6	0	14	325	466	−141	28	51	1	4	37
11	Glasgow Warriors	22	5	0	15	371	439	−68	39	47	2	7	37

Results

Week 1

2 September 2005 19:10	Llanelli Scarlets	15 – 21	Edinburgh	Stradey Park Attendance: 5,688
		Report		Stradey Park Attendance: 5,688

2 September 2005 19:10	Munster	9 – 7	Border Reivers	Thomond Park Stadium Attendance: 3,500
				Thomond Park Stadium Attendance: 3,500

2 September 2005 19:30	Glasgow Warriors	15 – 21	Newport Gwent Dragons	Hughenden Attendance: 2,034
				Hughenden Attendance: 2,034

3 September 2005 14:30	Connacht	13 – 9	Cardiff Blues	Sportsground Attendance: 1,800
				Sportsground Attendance: 1,800

4 September 2005 17:10	Ospreys	22 – 20	Leinster	Liberty Stadium Attendance: 10,131
				Liberty Stadium Attendance: 10,131

Week 2

9 September 2005 19:10	Cardiff Blues	22 – 25	Ulster	Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 5,784
				Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 5,784

10 September 2005 16:00	Edinburgh Gunners	34 – 3	Connacht	Murrayfield Attendance: 1,813
				Murrayfield Attendance: 1,813

10 September 2005 17:00	Leinster	26 – 21	Glasgow Warriors	Donnybrook Attendance: 3,700
				Donnybrook Attendance: 3,700

10 September 2005 18:00	Munster	37 – 10	Ospreys	Musgrave Park Attendance: 6,700
				Musgrave Park Attendance: 6,700

11 September 2005 16:00	Border Reivers	15 – 24	Llanelli Scarlets	Netherdale Attendance: 850
				Netherdale Attendance: 850

13 September 2005 19:35	Ospreys	15 – 9	Newport Gwent Dragons	Liberty Stadium Attendance: 7,749
				Liberty Stadium Attendance: 7,749

Week 3

14 September 2005 19:10	Cardiff Blues	20 – 16	Llanelli Scarlets	Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 6,254
				Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 6,254

16 September 2005 19:10	Leinster	33 – 14	Newport Gwent Dragons	Donnybrook Attendance: 3,700
				Donnybrook Attendance: 3,700

16 September 2005 19:30	Ulster	30 – 23	Edinburgh Gunners	Ravenhill Attendance: 7,799
				Ravenhill Attendance: 7,799

17 September 2005 17:30	Llanelli Scarlets	25 – 17	Connacht	Racecourse Ground Attendance: 3,042
				Racecourse Ground Attendance: 3,042

17 September 2005 19:30	Glasgow Warriors	32 – 10	Munster	Hughenden Attendance: 1,884
				Hughenden Attendance: 1,884

18 September 2005 16:00	Border Reivers	16 – 6	Ospreys	Netherdale Attendance: 1,023
				Netherdale Attendance: 1,023

Week 4

23 September 2005 19:10	Munster	14 – 13	Llanelli Scarlets	Musgrave Park Attendance: 5,000
				Musgrave Park Attendance: 5,000

24 September 2005 14:30	Connacht	15 – 17	Border Reivers	Sportsground Attendance: 650
				Sportsground Attendance: 650

24 September 2005 17:30	Newport Gwent Dragons	19 – 22	Ulster	Rodney Parade Attendance: 5,112
				Rodney Parade Attendance: 5,112

24 September 2005 19:30	Glasgow Warriors	23 – 28	Cardiff Blues	Hughenden Attendance: 1,404
				Hughenden Attendance: 1,404

25 September 2005 15:00	Edinburgh Gunners	24 – 18	Ospreys	Murrayfield Attendance: 2,471
				Murrayfield Attendance: 2,471

Week 5

30 September 2005 19:30	Edinburgh Gunners	28 – 12	Glasgow Warriors	Murrayfield Attendance: 2,502
				Murrayfield Attendance: 2,502

1 October 2005 14:00	Connacht	19 – 44	Munster	Sportsground Attendance: 2,300
				Sportsground Attendance: 2,300

1 October 2005 17:30	Leinster	30 – 23	Ulster	Donnybrook Attendance: 6,500
				Donnybrook Attendance: 6,500

Week 6

7 October 2005 19:10	Ulster	36 – 10	Connacht	Ravenhill Attendance: 9,546
				Ravenhill Attendance: 9,546

7 October 2005 19:30	Border Reivers	23 – 11	Edinburgh Gunners	Netherdale Attendance: 2,646
				Netherdale Attendance: 2,646

9 October 2005 15:00	Munster	33 – 9	Leinster	Musgrave Park Attendance: 7,500
				Musgrave Park Attendance: 7,500

Week 7

14 October 2005 19:10	Ospreys	18 – 17	Connacht	Liberty Stadium Attendance: 5,511
				Liberty Stadium Attendance: 5,511

14 October 2005 19:30	Edinburgh Gunners	17 – 15	Newport Gwent Dragons	Murrayfield Attendance: 2,460
				Murrayfield Attendance: 2,460

15 October 2005 17:30	Leinster	34 – 15	Cardiff Blues	RDS Arena Attendance: 7,000
				RDS Arena Attendance: 7,000

15 October 2005 19:30	Border Reivers	0 – 27	Ulster	Netherdale Attendance: 1,857
				Netherdale Attendance: 1,857

16 October 2005 16:10	Llanelli Scarlets	24 – 20	Glasgow Warriors	Stradey Park Attendance: 6,333
				Stradey Park Attendance: 6,333

Week 8

4 November 2005 19:10	Ulster	12 – 20	Ospreys	Ravenhill Attendance: 9,310
				Ravenhill Attendance: 9,310

4 November 2005 19:30	Cardiff Blues	16 – 18	Munster	Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 6,107
				Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 6,107

4 November 2005 19:30	Glasgow Warriors	30 – 15	Connacht	Hughenden Attendance: 1,518
				Hughenden Attendance: 1,518

6 November 2005 15:00	Leinster	13 – 27	Edinburgh Gunners	Donnybrook Attendance: 1,700
				Donnybrook Attendance: 1,700

6 November 2005 16:10	Newport Gwent Dragons	20 – 16	Border Reivers	Rodney Parade Attendance: 3,551
				Rodney Parade Attendance: 3,551

Week 9

3 December 2005 14:00	Connacht	9 – 21	Leinster	Sportsground Attendance: 2,250
				Sportsground Attendance: 2,250

3 December 2005 19:10	Munster	17 – 20	Ulster	Musgrave Park Attendance: 6,000
				Musgrave Park Attendance: 6,000

4 December 2005 15:00	Glasgow Warriors	46 – 6	Edinburgh Gunners	Firhill Stadium Attendance: 2,003
				Firhill Stadium Attendance: 2,003

Week 10

22 December 2005 19:35	Ospreys	9 – 28	Cardiff Blues	Liberty Stadium Attendance: 11,016
				Liberty Stadium Attendance: 11,016

23 December 2005 19:10	Newport Gwent Dragons	16 – 28	Llanelli Scarlets	Rodney Parade Attendance: 5,763
				Rodney Parade Attendance: 5,763

26 December 2005 15:00	Edinburgh Gunners	30 – 25	Border Reivers	Murrayfield Attendance: 3,818
				Murrayfield Attendance: 3,818

26 December 2005 17:00	Ulster	19 – 24	Leinster	Ravenhill Attendance: 12,300
				Ravenhill Attendance: 12,300

27 December 2005 16:10	Cardiff Blues	41 – 23	Newport Gwent Dragons	Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 12,488
				Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 12,488

27 December 2005 19:35	Munster	36 – 17	Connacht	Thomond Park Stadium Attendance: 8,000
				Thomond Park Stadium Attendance: 8,000

Week 11

31 December 2005 13:00	Leinster	35 – 23	Munster	RDS Arena Attendance: 14,135
				RDS Arena Attendance: 14,135

31 December 2005 14:00	Border Reivers	24 – 13	Glasgow Warriors	Netherdale Attendance: 2,107
				Netherdale Attendance: 2,107

31 December 2005 14:00	Connacht	22 – 12	Ulster	Sportsground Attendance: 2,100
				Sportsground Attendance: 2,100

1 January 2006 15:10	Newport Gwent Dragons	24 – 14	Ospreys	Rodney Parade Attendance: 6,115
				Rodney Parade Attendance: 6,115

2 January 2006 16:10	Llanelli Scarlets	32 – 13	Cardiff Blues	Stradey Park Attendance: 9,364
				Stradey Park Attendance: 9,364

Week 12

6 January 2006 19:10	Newport Gwent Dragons	27 – 19	Connacht	Rodney Parade Attendance: 4,773
				Rodney Parade Attendance: 4,773

7 January 2006 15:30	Ulster	25 – 23	Glasgow Warriors	Ravenhill Attendance: 6,487
				Ravenhill Attendance: 6,487

7 January 2006 17:30	Llanelli Scarlets	20 – 18	Leinster	Stradey Park Attendance: 6,126
				Stradey Park Attendance: 6,126

7 January 2006 19:30	Edinburgh Gunners	17 – 18	Munster	Murrayfield Attendance: 3,525
				Murrayfield Attendance: 3,525

8 January 2006 16:00	Border Reivers	26 – 23	Cardiff Blues	Netherdale Attendance: 3,879
				Netherdale Attendance: 3,879

Week 13

27 January 2006 19:10	Cardiff Blues	9 – 13	Edinburgh Gunners	Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 4,943
				Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 4,943

27 January 2006 19:30	Glasgow Warriors	8 – 22	Ospreys	Old Anniesland Attendance: 1,335
				Old Anniesland Attendance: 1,335

27 January 2006 19:30	Leinster	62 – 14	Border Reivers	Donnybrook Attendance: 4,125
				Donnybrook Attendance: 4,125

27 January 2006 19:30	Ulster	30 – 13	Llanelli Scarlets	Ravenhill Attendance: 7,986
				Ravenhill Attendance: 7,986

28 January 2006 17:30	Munster	10 – 8	Newport Gwent Dragons	Musgrave Park Attendance: 5,000
				Musgrave Park Attendance: 5,000

Week 14

17 February 2006 19:10	Ospreys	22 – 18	Border Reivers	Liberty Stadium Attendance: 6,573
				Liberty Stadium Attendance: 6,573

17 February 2006 19:30	Edinburgh Gunners	23 – 31	Ulster	Murrayfield Attendance: 3,559
				Murrayfield Attendance: 3,559

18 February 2006 14:30	Connacht	33 – 19	Llanelli Scarlets	Sportsground Attendance: 2,300
				Sportsground Attendance: 2,300

18 February 2006 15:30	Munster	20 – 26	Glasgow Warriors	Thomond Park Stadium Attendance: 5,000
				Thomond Park Stadium Attendance: 5,000

18 February 2006 17:30	Newport Gwent Dragons	31 – 18	Leinster	Rodney Parade Attendance: 5,117
				Rodney Parade Attendance: 5,117

Week 15

3 March 2006 19:10	Cardiff Blues	40 – 14	Ospreys	Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 7,165
				Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 7,165

3 March 2006 19:30	Glasgow Warriors	8 – 20	Border Reivers	Firhill Stadium Attendance: 1,406
				Firhill Stadium Attendance: 1,406

3 March 2006 19:35	Ulster	27 – 3	Munster	Ravenhill Attendance: 12,300
				Ravenhill Attendance: 12,300

5 March 2006 17:15	Leinster	16 – 13	Connacht	Donnybrook Attendance: 3,573
				Donnybrook Attendance: 3,573

Week 16

24 March 2006 19:10	Cardiff Blues	31 – 3	Glasgow Warriors	Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 4,508
				Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 4,508

24 March 2006 19:30	Border Reivers	9 – 11	Connacht	Netherdale Attendance: 702
				Netherdale Attendance: 702

25 March 2006 15:30	Ulster	24 – 17	Newport Gwent Dragons	Ravenhill Attendance: 7,546
				Ravenhill Attendance: 7,546

26 March 2006 16:10	Ospreys	24 – 17	Edinburgh Gunners	Liberty Stadium Attendance: 5,413
				Liberty Stadium Attendance: 5,413

31 March 2006 19:10	Llanelli Scarlets	30 – 17	Ospreys	Stradey Park Attendance: 10,832
				Stradey Park Attendance: 10,832

Week 17

7 April 2006 19:10	Newport Gwent Dragons	23 – 17	Munster	Rodney Parade Attendance: 5,433
				Rodney Parade Attendance: 5,433

7 April 2006 19:30	Edinburgh Gunners	10 – 21	Cardiff Blues	Murrayfield Attendance: 2,304
				Murrayfield Attendance: 2,304

7 April 2006 21:00	Border Reivers	34 – 35	Leinster	Netherdale Attendance: 1,307
				Netherdale Attendance: 1,307

8 April 2006 17:30	Ospreys	16 – 13	Glasgow Warriors	Liberty Stadium Attendance: 4,000
				Liberty Stadium Attendance: 4,000

Week 18

14 April 2006 19:10	Leinster	30 – 22	Llanelli Scarlets	Lansdowne Road Attendance: 7,250
				Lansdowne Road Attendance: 7,250

15 April 2006 14:30	Connacht	15 – 10	Newport Gwent Dragons	Sportsground Attendance: 1,800
				Sportsground Attendance: 1,800

15 April 2006 17:30	Cardiff Blues	46 – 11	Border Reivers	Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 5,500
				Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 5,500

15 April 2006 17:30	Glasgow Warriors	18 – 27	Ulster	Firhill Stadium Attendance: 2,240
				Firhill Stadium Attendance: 2,240

15 April 2006 19:30	Munster	36 – 15	Edinburgh Gunners	Thomond Park Stadium Attendance: 9,000
				Thomond Park Stadium Attendance: 9,000

Week 19

18 April 2006 19:10	Ospreys	25 – 13	Llanelli Scarlets	Liberty Stadium Attendance: 15,183
				Liberty Stadium Attendance: 15,183

19 April 2006 19:35	Newport Gwent Dragons	13 – 18	Cardiff Blues	Rodney Parade Attendance: 7,113
				Rodney Parade Attendance: 7,113

22 April 2006 17:30	Llanelli Scarlets	36 – 17	Newport Gwent Dragons	Stradey Park Attendance: 6,500
				Stradey Park Attendance: 6,500

Week 20

28 April 2006 19:10	Newport Gwent Dragons	32 – 18	Glasgow Warriors	Rodney Parade Attendance: 3,850
				Rodney Parade Attendance: 3,850

28 April 2006 19:30	Border Reivers	25 – 41	Munster	Netherdale Attendance: 1,266
				Netherdale Attendance: 1,266

28 April 2006 19:30	Edinburgh Gunners	35 – 18	Llanelli Scarlets	Murrayfield Attendance: 2,122
				Murrayfield Attendance: 2,122

29 April 2006 17:30	Cardiff Blues	30 – 12	Connacht	Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 6,423
				Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 6,423

29 April 2006 19:35	Leinster	38 – 21	Ospreys	Lansdowne Road Attendance: 6,455
				Lansdowne Road Attendance: 6,455

Week 21

5 May 2006 18:30	Connacht	16 – 22	Edinburgh Gunners	Sportsground Attendance: 2,100
				Sportsground Attendance: 2,100

5 May 2006 19:10	Ospreys	27 – 10	Munster	Liberty Stadium Attendance: 7,843
				Liberty Stadium Attendance: 7,843

5 May 2006 21:00	Ulster	26 – 17	Cardiff Blues	Ravenhill Attendance: 9,617
				Ravenhill Attendance: 9,617

6 May 2006 16:10	Llanelli Scarlets	30 – 26	Border Reivers	Stradey Park Attendance: 5,033
				Stradey Park Attendance: 5,033

7 May 2006 19:30	Glasgow Warriors	18 – 21	Leinster	Firhill Stadium Attendance: 1,129
				Firhill Stadium Attendance: 1,129

Week 22

9 May 2006 19:05	Llanelli Scarlets	18 – 6	Munster	Stradey Park Attendance: 5,754
				Stradey Park Attendance: 5,754

12 May 2006 18:30	Connacht	16 – 44	Ospreys	Sportsground Attendance: 1,500
				Sportsground Attendance: 1,500

12 May 2006 19:10	Glasgow Warriors	17 – 10	Llanelli Scarlets	Firhill Stadium Attendance: 1,014
				Firhill Stadium Attendance: 1,014

12 May 2006 19:30	Ulster	63 – 17	Border Reivers	Ravenhill Attendance: 8,932
				Ravenhill Attendance: 8,932

13 May 2006 17:30	Newport Gwent Dragons	11 – 37	Edinburgh Gunners	Rodney Parade Attendance: 4,637
				Rodney Parade Attendance: 4,637

14 May 2006 18:10	Cardiff Blues	40 – 31	Leinster	Millennium Stadium Attendance: 15,327
				Millennium Stadium Attendance: 15,327

Week 23

19 May 2006 19:10	Llanelli Scarlets	12 – 12	Ulster	Stradey Park Attendance: 6,425
				Stradey Park Attendance: 6,425

Week 24

26 May 2006 18:30	Connacht	33 – 7	Glasgow Warriors	Sportsground Attendance: 1,100
				Sportsground Attendance: 1,100

26 May 2006 19:10	Edinburgh Gunners	8 – 31	Leinster	Murrayfield Attendance: 2,364
				Murrayfield Attendance: 2,364

26 May 2006 19:10	Ospreys	17 – 19	Ulster	Liberty Stadium Attendance: 10,316
				Liberty Stadium Attendance: 10,316

26 May 2006 19:30	Border Reivers	43 – 5	Newport Gwent Dragons	Netherdale Attendance: 1,233
				Netherdale Attendance: 1,233

27 May 2006 17:30	Munster	37 – 8	Cardiff Blues	Thomond Park Stadium Attendance: 13,200
				Thomond Park Stadium Attendance: 13,200

External links

References

^ Although Murrayfield's full capacity is 67,800, only the lower section of the West Stand, with a capacity of 12,464, is generally opened for Edinburgh fixtures.

Pro 12

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

Defunct teams	Border Reivers Celtic Warriors

Grounds	Stadio Luigi Zaffanella / Stadio Giglio Stadio Comunale di Monigo Cardiff City Stadium Galway Sportsgrounds Murrayfield Firhill Stadium RDS Arena / Aviva Stadium Thomond Park / Musgrave Park Rodney Parade Liberty Stadium Parc y Scarlets Ravenhill Stadium

Seasons	2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12

Winners	2002: Leinster 2003: Munster 2004: Scarlets 2005: Ospreys 2006: Ulster 2007: Ospreys 2008: Leinster 2009: Munster 2010: Ospreys 2011: Munster


Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Celtic League					IRL in NZ and AUS			Celtic League
H. Cup	Six Nations Championship		Heineken Cup		WAL in ARG				H. Cup	AUS in ITA, IRL, SCO	H. Cup
Guinness Premiership					ENG in AUS			Guinness Premiership
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