MAGNERS LATEST NEWS
Celtic Rugby Announces Magners Irish Cider Sponsorship of The Celtic League
19th July 2006
The Magners League is the new name for the Celtic Rugby Union competition involving 11 regional teams from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Formed in 2001, this traditional league style competition is based on the highly successful "Super 14" Tri-Nation format seen in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
Since its inception, the format of the Magners League has evolved to see the 11 teams play each other both home and away over a 22 weekend calendar. The winners, after all the rounds of games have been completed, will be crowned the Magners League Champions.
The Magners League is now the sole determinant for Heineken European Cup qualification. As such, the desire to finish as high as possible in the standings has increased the level of intensity and the standard of Celtic Rugby as a whole.
The strength in depth of the Magners League is evident as never before with Ulster winning the League Title on the last weekend of the season, Munster claiming the Heineken Cup and Ireland bringing home the Triple Crown. The commitment to teams by players such as British & Irish Lions captain Brian O'Driscoll, Chris Paterson and Dwayne Peel, along with the introduction of exciting overseas signings such as All Black Justin Marshall, illustrates the strength of the competition and the depth of Celtic Rugby talent.
This year's competition will be as fierce, intense and passionate as ever; with next year's Rugby World Cup on the horizon, players will be out to stake their claim for International recognition so competition is sure to be intense between Celtic Rugby's finest talent. Bonus points are given to a team that scores four tries or more, putting the emphasis on strong, attacking rugby that rugby fans are flocking to see.
Record attendances were posted last year on five separate occasions and with the highest ever number of tries having been scored, the action is living up to its potential. This year's competition will see the Scottish and Welsh teams trying to release the stranglehold the Irish teams held last season.
Previous Winners
2001/02 Leinster
2002/03 Munster
2003/04 Llanelli Scarlets
2004/05 Neath-Swansea Ospreys
2005/06 Ulster
Magners are proud to be Title Sponsor of the League until 2008. We are passionate about rugby and genuinely want to advance the Magners League to give it greater prominence within the rugby calendar. The sponsorship builds upon Magners existing commitment to rugby as sponsors of both the Edinburgh Gunners and London Wasps.
To get more information about the Magners League, visit www.magnersleague.com.
