2005–06 Celtic League
The 2005–06 Celtic League was the fifth Celtic League season, and the third following the introduction of regional rugby 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.
| 2005–06 Celtic League | |
|---|---|
| Countries |  Ireland Scotland Wales |
| Champions | Ulster (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Leinster |
| Matches played | 110 |
| Attendance | 571,331 (average 5,194 per match) |
| Tries scored | 484 (average 4.4 per match) |
| Top point scorer | Felipe Contepomi (Leinster) (287 points)[1] |
| Top try scorer | Tommy Bowe (Ulster) Jason Forster (Newport Gwent Dragons) (10 tries)[2] |
| Official website | |
| www | |
Teams
 Location of 2005–06 Celtic League teams in Great Britain and Ireland. | |
 Winners;  2nd–4th place;  Other teams. | |
| Team | Stadium | Capacity | City, Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Border Reivers |
Netherdale | 6,000 | Galashiels, Scotland |
| Cardiff Blues |
Cardiff Arms Park[lower-alpha 1] | 12,500 | Cardiff, Wales |
| Connacht |
Galway Sportsgrounds | 5,500 | Galway, Republic of Ireland |
| Edinburgh Gunners |
Murrayfield Stadium | 67,800[lower-alpha 2] | Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Glasgow Warriors |
Firhill Stadium Hughenden Stadium[lower-alpha 3] |
10,887 6,000 |
Glasgow, Scotland |
| Leinster |
Donnybrook Stadium[lower-alpha 4] | 6,500 | Dublin, Republic of Ireland |
| Llanelli Scarlets |
Stradey Park[lower-alpha 5] | 10,800 | Llanelli, Wales |
| Munster |
Thomond Park Musgrave Park |
13,200 8,300 |
Limerick, Republic of Ireland Cork, Republic of Ireland |
| Newport Gwent Dragons |
Rodney Parade | 12,000 | Newport, Wales |
| Ospreys |
Liberty Stadium | 20,500 | Swansea, Wales |
| Ulster |
Ravenhill | 12,800 | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TBP | LBP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ulster |
20 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 510 | 347 | +163 | 49 | 31 | 3 | 2 | 75 |
| 2 | Leinster |
20 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 545 | 427 | +118 | 59 | 45 | 8 | 2 | 74 |
| 3 | Munster |
20 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 439 | 372 | +67 | 49 | 42 | 7 | 3 | 66 |
| 4 | Cardiff Blues |
20 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 475 | 389 | +86 | 51 | 38 | 6 | 5 | 63 |
| 5 | Edinburgh Gunners |
20 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 418 | 415 | +3 | 48 | 45 | 5 | 3 | 60 |
| 6 | Llanelli Scarlets |
20 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 418 | 402 | +16 | 49 | 37 | 3 | 4 | 57 |
| 7 | Ospreys |
20 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 381 | 409 | −28 | 33 | 38 | 1 | 2 | 55 |
| 8 | Newport Gwent Dragons |
20 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 355 | 456 | −101 | 40 | 51 | 2 | 7 | 45 |
| 9 | Border Reivers |
20 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 386 | 501 | −115 | 39 | 59 | 1 | 7 | 44 |
| 10 | Connacht |
20 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 325 | 466 | −141 | 28 | 51 | 1 | 4 | 37 |
| 11 | Glasgow Warriors |
20 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 371 | 439 | −68 | 39 | 47 | 2 | 7 | 37 |
|
Under the standard bonus point system, points are awarded as follows:
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Due to the uneven number of participating teams, each team had two free weekends and were awarded 4 match points each time. | |||||||||||||
| Source: RaboDirect PRO12 Archived 22 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine | |||||||||||||
Results
Round 1
Round 2
| 9 September 2005 19:10 |
| Cardiff Blues | 22–25 | Ulster |
| Try: Morgan Con: Robinson Pen: Robinson (5) | Report[3] | Try: Bowe Con: David Humphreys Pen: David Humphreys (5) Drop: David Humphreys |
| Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 5,784 Referee: Rob Dickson |
Welsh Round 1
- All-Welsh Round 5 matches played mid-week to allow Welsh teams to play in the Anglo-Welsh Cup.
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
| 1 October 2005 17:30 |
| Leinster | 30–23 | Ulster |
| Try: Hickie Potts Con: Contemomi Pen: Contemomi (6) | Report[6] | Try: Wallace Best Con: David Humphreys (2) Pen: David Humphreys (3) |
| Donnybrook Attendance: 6,500 Referee: Olan Trevor |
Round 6
| 7 October 2005 19:10 |
| Ulster | 36–10 | Connacht |
| Try: R. Best Bowe Topping McCullough Trimble Con: Humphreys (2) Cunningham Wallace Pen: Cunningham | Report[7] | Try: Matthews Con: Robinson Pen: Warwick |
| Ravenhill Attendance: 9,546 Referee: Alain Rolland |
Round 7
| 15 October 2005 19:30 |
| Border Reivers | 0–27 | Ulster |
| Report[8] | Try: Topping N. Best Boss Con: Humphreys (3) Pen: Humphreys (2) |
| Netherdale Attendance: 1,857 Referee: Phil Fear |
Round 8
Round 9
| 3 December 2005 19:10 |
| Munster | 17–20 | Ulster |
| Try: D. Wallace Flannery Con: O'Gara (2) Drop: O'Gara | Report[10] | Try: Bowe Andrew Trimble Con: Humphreys (2) Pen: Humphreys (2) |
| Musgrave Park Attendance: 6,000 Referee: Alain Rolland |
Welsh Round 2
- All-Welsh Round 9 matches postponed to allow Welsh teams to play in the Anglo-Welsh Cup.
| 23 December 2005 19:10 |
| Newport Gwent Dragons | 16–28 | Llanelli Scarlets |
| Report |
| Rodney Parade Attendance: 5,763 |
Round 10
| 26 December 2005 17:00 |
| Ulster | 19–24 | Leinster |
| Try: Bowe Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys (4) | Report[11] | Try: D'Arcy Dempsey Con: Contepomi Pen: Contepomi (4) |
| Ravenhill Attendance: 12,300 Referee: George Clancy |
| 27 December 2005 16:10 |
| Cardiff Blues | 41–23 | Newport Gwent Dragons |
| Report |
| Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 12,488 |
Round 11
| 31 December 2005 14:00 |
| Connacht | 22–12 | Ulster |
| Try: Slemen Lacey McPhillips Con: Slemen (2) Pen: Slemen | Report[12] | Pen: Humphreys (4) |
| Sportsground Attendance: 2,100 Referee: Alan Lewis |
Round 12
Round 13
Round 14
Round 15
Round 16
Round 10 rescheduled match
Round 17
Round 18
Welsh Round 3
- All-Welsh Round 6 matches played mid-week to allow Welsh teams to play in the Anglo-Welsh Cup.
Round 15 rescheduled match
- This match was postponed from the weekend of 4 March to allow Llanelli Scarlets to play in the Anglo-Welsh Cup semi-final.
Round 19
Round 20
Round 16 rescheduled match
Round 21
Round 17 rescheduled match
- This match was postponed from the weekend of 9 April to allow Llanelli Scarlets to play in the Anglo-Welsh Cup Final.
| 19 May 2006 19:10 |
| Llanelli Scarlets | 12–12 | Ulster |
| Try: John (2) Con: Evans | Report[21] | Try: Bowe Maxwell Con: Humphreys |
| Stradey Park Attendance: 6,425 Referee: Graeme Hannah |
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
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Top try scorers
|
Notes
- Cardiff Blues played their final home game of the season in the Millennium Stadium.
- 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.
- Glasgow Warriors also played one home game at Old Anniesland.
- Leinster also played two of the home games in the RDS Arena and another two in Lansdowne Road.
- Llanelli Scarlets played one of their home games at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham.
External links
References
- "Leading Points-Scorers". RaboDirect PRO12. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- "Leading Try-Scorers". RaboDirect PRO12. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- "Ulster end woeful away form with win", Pro12 Rugby, 7 September 2005
- "Ulster go top as the Gunners stumble", Pro12 Rugby, 15 September 2005
- "Ulster turn up the heat to douse Dragons", Pro12 Rugby, 20 September 2005
- "Hickie try sinks Ulster", Pro12 Rugby, 1 October 2005
- "Ulster win to go top", Pro12 Rugby, 7 October 2005
- "Ulster ease to comfortable win", Pro12 Rugby, 15 October 2005
- "Ospreys end Ulster's home record", Pro12 Rugby, 4 November 2005
- "Ulster hold on for win", Pro12 Rugby, 3 December 2005
- "O'Driscoll returns in Leinster victory", Pro12 Rugby, 26 December 2005
- "Connacht outshine lacklustre Ulster", Pro12 Rugby, 31 December 2005
- "Ulster edge out Glasgow Warriors", Pro12 Rugby, 7 January 2006
- "Ulster cement top four spot", Pro12 Rugby, 27 January 2006
- "Experienced Ulster take the points", Pro12 Rugby, 17 February 2006
- "Bonus point win sees Ulster go top", Pro12 Rugby, 3 March 2006
- "Ulster win takes them back to the top", Pro12 Rugby, 25 March 2006
- "Ulster maintain title push", Pro12 Rugby, 15 April 2006
- "Ulster maintain title push", Pro12 Rugby, 5 May 2006
- "Ulster smash Reivers and go top", Pro12 Rugby, 12 May 2006
- "Ulster denied glory at Stradey Park", Pro12 Rugby, 19 May 2006
- "Humphreys drop snatches title for Ulster", Pro12 Rugby, 26 May 2006
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