2008–09 Celtic League
The 2008–09 Celtic League (known as the 2008–09 Magners League for sponsorship reasons) was the eighth Celtic League season and the third with Magners as title sponsor. The season began in September 2008 and ended in May 2009. Ten teams played each other on a home-and-away basis, with teams earning four points for a win, and a bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match. Losing teams also earned a bonus point if they lost by seven points or less.
| 2008–09 Celtic League | |
|---|---|
| Countries |  Ireland Scotland Wales |
| Champions | Munster (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Edinburgh |
| Matches played | 90 |
| Attendance | 731,328 (average 8,126 per match) |
| Tries scored | 352 (average 3.9 per match) |
| Top point scorer | Felipe Contepomi (Leinster) James Hook (Ospreys) (161 points)[1] |
| Top try scorer | Thom Evans (Glasgow) (9 tries)[2] |
| Official website | |
| www | |
The ten competing teams consisted of the four Irish provinces, Munster, Leinster, Connacht and Ulster; two Scottish regions, Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors; and four Welsh regions, Cardiff Blues, Newport Gwent Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets. The Scarlets were originally known as the "Llanelli Scarlets", but renamed themselves at the start of the season, in order to reflect their regional identity.[3]
Munster were crowned champions on 30 April 2009 after the Ospreys beat the Newport Gwent Dragons 27–18 but failed to claim a bonus point.[4]
Teams
 Winners;  2nd–4th place;  Other teams. | |
| Team | Stadium | Capacity | City, Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiff Blues |
Cardiff Arms Park | 12,500 | Cardiff, Wales |
| Connacht |
Galway Sportsgrounds | 5,500 | Galway, Republic of Ireland |
| Edinburgh |
Murrayfield Stadium | 12,464[lower-alpha 1] | Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Glasgow Warriors |
Firhill Stadium | 10,887 | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Leinster |
RDS Arena | 18,500 | Dublin, Republic of Ireland |
| Munster |
Thomond Park Musgrave Park |
26,500 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 |
| Scarlets |
Parc y Scarlets Stradey Park |
14,870 10,800 |
Llanelli, Wales |
| Ulster |
Ravenhill | 12,800 | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
Table
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | Try bonus | Losing bonus | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Munster |
18 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 405 | 257 | +148 | 49 | 23 | 6 | 1 | 63 |
| 2 | Edinburgh |
18 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 416 | 296 | +120 | 40 | 30 | 6 | 5 | 55 |
| 3 | Leinster |
18 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 401 | 270 | +131 | 38 | 20 | 4 | 2 | 52 |
| 4 | Ospreys |
18 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 397 | 319 | +78 | 39 | 28 | 3 | 5 | 52 |
| 5 | Scarlets |
18 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 376 | 395 | −19 | 41 | 46 | 3 | 1 | 40 |
| 6 | Cardiff Blues |
18 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 322 | 361 | −39 | 31 | 36 | 2 | 2 | 38 |
| 7 | Glasgow Warriors |
18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 349 | 375 | −26 | 36 | 41 | 4 | 5 | 37 |
| 8 | Ulster |
18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 298 | 331 | −33 | 30 | 33 | 2 | 6 | 36 |
| 9 | Newport Gwent Dragons |
18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 305 | 429 | −124 | 26 | 39 | 1 | 4 | 33 |
| 10 | Connacht |
18 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 224 | 460 | −236 | 20 | 54 | 1 | 3 | 20 |
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Under the standard bonus point system, points are awarded as follows:
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| Source: RaboDirect PRO12 Archived 22 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine | |||||||||||||
Results
Round 1
| 5 September 2008 19:05 |
| Newport Gwent Dragons | 6–12 | Glasgow Warriors |
| Report |
| Rodney Parade Attendance: 4,113 |
Welsh Round 1
- All-Welsh Round 5 matches played mid-week to allow Welsh teams to play in the Anglo-Welsh Cup.
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
| 28 November 2008 19:30 |
| Edinburgh | 32–16 | Ospreys |
| Report |
| Murrayfield Attendance: 2,670 Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)[5] |
Welsh Round 2
- All-Welsh Round 6 matches played mid-week to allow Welsh teams to play in the Anglo-Welsh Cup.
Round 8
1872 Cup 1st round
Round 9
1872 Cup 2nd round
Round 10
| 9 January 2009 19:30 |
| Glasgow Warriors | 20–25 | Newport Gwent Dragons |
| Report |
| Firhill Stadium Attendance: 2,217 |
Round 11
| 20 February 2009 19:05 |
| Cardiff Blues | 34–30 | Glasgow Warriors |
| Report |
| Cardiff City Stadium Attendance: 7,603 |
Round 12
Round 13
Round 14
Round 15
Round 16
Rearranged fixtures
- Round 13 match rescheduled to allow Ospreys to play in the Anglo-Welsh Cup semi-final.
- Round 15 match rescheduled to allow Cardiff Blues to play in the Anglo-Welsh Cup final.
Round 17
Rearranged fixture
- Round 13 match rescheduled to allow Cardiff Blues to play in the Anglo-Welsh Cup semi-final.
Round 18
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
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Broadcast rights
Television rights for the league are split between three broadcasters, BBC Wales, S4C and Setanta Sports. BBC Wales and S4C continues to cover the Pro12.[6]
Notes
- 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.
References
- "Leading Points-Scorers". RaboDirect PRO12. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
- "Leading Try-Scorers". RaboDirect PRO12. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
- "Scarlets drop Llanelli from name". BBC Sport. 11 September 2008. Retrieved 11 September 2008.
- "Ospreys 27-18 Dragons". BBC Sport. 30 April 2009. Archived from the original on 1 May 2009. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
- "John Lacey". www.pro14rugby.org. 23 October 2017. Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- BBC extends Welsh rugby contract