| 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 4.8 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 | |
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. Leinster's 10-0 debut 'perfect season' is one of only two in the history of the competition in its various forms. The other, a 17-0 record, was also achieved by Leinster was in 2020.
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
Location of 2001–02 Celtic League teams in Wales. | |
 Pool A;  Pool B. | |
| 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:
| |||||||||||||
| Green background (rows 1 to 4) qualify for the knock-out stage. Source: RaboDirect PRO12 | |||||||||||||
Pool A Fixtures
| 17 August 2001 19:30 |
| Ulster | 30–13 | Swansea |
| Try: Free, Shields, Topping Con: Humphreys (3) Drop: Humphreys | Report[3] Match Centre | Try: Payne Con: Henson Pen: Henson |
| Ravenhill Attendance: 6,000 Referee: C. White |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| 28 August 2001 19:00 |
| Ulster | 26–27 | Llanelli |
| Try: B. Cunningham Pen: Humphreys (7) | Report[5] Match Centre | Try: Thomas, Evans, Proctor Con: Jones (3) Pen: Jones (2) |
| Ravenhill Attendance: 8,000 Referee: B. Dickson |
| 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 |
| Try: O'Kelly, D'Arcy (2), Hickie Con: Spooner Pen: Spooner (2) Drop: Dempsey | Report[6] Match Centre | Pen: Humphreys (2), Wallace |
| Donnybrook Referee: N Williams |
| 7 September 2001 19:05 |
| Ebbw Vale | 27–29 | Ulster |
| Try: Betts, Wagstaff, Green Con: Mitchell (3) Pen: Cull, Mitchell | Report[7] Match Centre | Try: Howe, Constable Con: Wallace (2) Pen: Wallace (5) |
| Eugene Cross Park Attendance: 2,000 Referee: T. Spreadbury |
| 12 September 2001 19:30 |
| Ulster | 46–14 | Bridgend |
| Try: Shields, McMillan, Humphreys (2), Stewart, Ward (2) Con: Humphreys (4) Pen: Humphreys | Report[8] Match Centre | Try: Ringer, James Con: Rees, Dunston |
| Ravenhill Attendance: 8,000 |
| 15 September 2001 14:30 |
| Pontypridd | 20–29 | Ulster |
| Try: McIntosh Pen: Sweeney (5) | Report[9][10]
Match Centre | Try: Best, Constable, Blair Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys (3) Drop: Humphreys |
| Sardis Road Attendance: 3,200 Referee: Chris White |
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:
| |||||||||||||
| Green background (rows 1 to 4) qualify for the knock-out stage. Source: RaboDirect PRO12 | |||||||||||||
Pool B Fixtures
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
Semi-finals
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) |
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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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Notes
External links
References
- 1 2 "Leading Points-Scorers". RaboDirect PRO12. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- 1 2 "Leading Try-Scorers". RaboDirect PRO12. Archived from the original on 17 January 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ↑ Jim Stokes, "Ulster swamp Swansea", BBC Sport, 14 August 2001
- 1 2 "Attendances". Rugby Network. Retrieved 3 March 2008.
- ↑ "Llanelli snatch dramatic win", BBC Sport, 28 August 2001
- ↑ "D'Arcy double destroys Ulster", BBC Sport, 31 August 2001
- ↑ "Wallace stars in Ulster fightback", BBC Sport, 7 September 2001
- ↑ "Humphreys and Ulster in the mood", Irish Independent, 13 September 2001
- ↑ "Humphreys saves Ulster", BBC Sport, 15 September 2001
- ↑ Micheal McGeary, "Home, Boys", Sunday Life, 16 September 2001