2003–04 Celtic League

2003–04 Celtic League
Countries	Ireland  Scotland  Wales
Champions	Llanelli Scarlets (1st title)
Matches played	132
Attendance	501,875 (average 3,802 per match)
Tries scored	651 (average 4.9 per match)
Top point scorer	Neil Jenkins (Celtic Warriors) (273 points)[1]
Top try scorer	Jamie Robinson (Cardiff Blues) (12 tries)[2]
Official website
www.rabodirectpro12.com

The 2003–04 Celtic League was the third Celtic League season, and the first following the formation of the five regional rugby sides in Wales. The Celtic League, having previously been played as a pool stage followed by knockout rounds was restructured into a typical league system, based on home and away games only. The league was won by the Llanelli Scarlets, with all the other Welsh regions finishing in the top 6. Following this season, the Celtic Warriors were bought-out and disbanded by the Welsh Rugby Union, and in subsequent years, only four Welsh sides have competed.

Teams

Connacht Leinster Munster Ulster Edinburgh Glasgow The Borders Blues Dragons Ospreys Scarlets Celtic Warriors class=notpageimage| Location of 2003–04 Celtic League teams in Great Britain and Ireland.

Winners; 2nd–4th place; Other teams

Team	Stadium	Capacity	City, Area
Borders	Netherdale	6,000	Galashiels, Scotland
Cardiff Blues	Cardiff Arms Park	12,500	Cardiff, Wales
Celtic Warriors	Brewery Field Sardis Road	12,000 8,000	Bridgend, Wales Pontypridd, Wales
Connacht	Galway Sportsgrounds[a]	5,500	Galway, Republic of Ireland
Edinburgh	Meadowbank Stadium[b]	7,500	Edinburgh, Scotland
Glasgow	Hughenden Stadium	6,000	Glasgow, Scotland
Leinster	Donnybrook Stadium[c]	6,000	Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Llanelli Scarlets	Stradey Park[d]	10,800	Llanelli, Wales
Munster	Thomond Park Musgrave Park	13,200 8,300	Limerick, Republic of Ireland Cork, Republic of Ireland
Neath–Swansea Ospreys	St Helen's The Gnoll	4,500 6,000	Swansea, Wales Neath, Wales
Newport Gwent Dragons	Rodney Parade	12,000	Newport, Wales
Ulster	Ravenhill	12,800	Belfast, Northern Ireland

Table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	TBP	LBP	Pts
1	Llanelli Scarlets	22	16	1	5	597	385	+212	57	39	7	3	76
2	Ulster	22	15	0	7	617	363	+254	67	29	8	4	72
3	Newport Gwent Dragons	22	16	0	6	590	449	+141	59	41	7	1	72
4	Celtic Warriors	22	14	0	8	560	451	+109	48	37	5	4	65
5	Neath–Swansea Ospreys	22	11	1	10	582	512	+70	55	60	5	4	55
6	Cardiff Blues	22	11	0	11	570	467	+103	73	54	7	3	54
7	Munster	22	10	0	12	422	456	−34	45	49	6	5	51
8	Leinster	22	9	1	12	523	580	−57	51	65	4	5	47
9	Connacht	22	8	2	12	479	550	−71	50	59	5	3	44
10	Edinburgh	22	9	0	13	454	622	−168	52	69	6	2	44
11	Glasgow	22	6	1	15	442	614	−172	52	61	3	3	32
12	Borders	22	4	0	18	363	750	−387	42	88	1	5	22
Under the standard bonus point system, points are awarded as follows: 4 points for a win 2 points for a draw 1 bonus point for scoring 4 tries (or more) (Try bonus) 1 bonus point for losing by 7 points (or fewer) (Losing bonus)
Source: RaboDirect PRO12 Archived 22 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine

Fixtures

Round 1

5 September 2003 19:05

Neath–Swansea Ospreys	41–30	Ulster
Try: Tiueti Durston Henson (2) Con: Connor (2) Henson Pen: Connor (4) Henson	Report	Try: Stewart McCormack Ward Con: Wallace (3) Pen: Wallace (3)

The Gnoll Attendance: 4,250

5 September 2003 19:30

Glasgow	23–13	Cardiff Blues
	Report

Hughenden Attendance: 3,264

5 September 2003 19:30

Borders	12–49	Celtic Warriors
	Report

Netherdale Attendance: 4,000

5 September 2003 19:35

Leinster	8–15	Munster
	Report

Donnybrook Attendance: 6,000

6 September 2003 16:00

Connacht	11–3	Edinburgh
	Report

Sportsground Attendance: 1,200

6 September 2003 17:30

Llanelli Scarlets	35–11	Newport Gwent Dragons
	Report

Stradey Park Attendance: 4,300

Round 2

12 September 2003 19:05

Newport Gwent Dragons	29–19	Neath–Swansea Ospreys
	Report

Rodney Parade Attendance: 3,874

12 September 2003 19:30

Edinburgh	53–7	Borders
	Report

Meadowbank Attendance: 2,800

12 September 2003 19:30

Munster	12–19	Llanelli Scarlets
	Report

Thomond Park Attendance: 5,500

12 September 2003 19:35

Ulster	33–6	Glasgow
Try: Frost McWhirter Stewart Con: Larkin (3) Pen: Larkin (3)	Report	Pen: Howarth Drop: Moffat

Ravenhill Attendance: 6,000

13 September 2003 14:30

Celtic Warriors	29–22	Leinster
	Report

Sardis Road Attendance: 4,500

13 September 2003 17:30

Cardiff Blues	33–17	Connacht
	Report

Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 3,500

Round 3

26 September 2003 19:05

Llanelli Scarlets	27–22	Celtic Warriors
	Report

Stradey Park Attendance: 4,875

26 September 2003 19:30

Leinster	30–33	Edinburgh
	Report

Donnybrook Attendance: 2,600

26 September 2003 19:30

Borders	22–20	Cardiff Blues
	Report

Netherdale Attendance: 2,140

26 September 2003 19:30

Ulster	37–18	Newport Gwent Dragons
Try: Ward McWhirter Constable Howe Con: Larkin (4) Pen: Larkin (3)	Report	Try: Arasa Baber Con: Warlow Pen: Warlow Drop: Warlow

Ravenhill Attendance: 5,807

26 September 2003 19:35

Glasgow	19–30	Connacht
	Report

Hughenden Attendance: 3,146

27 September 2003 17:30

Neath–Swansea Ospreys	33–26	Munster
	Report

St Helen's Attendance: 5,200

Round 4

10 October 2003 19:05

Cardiff Blues	22–3	Leinster
	Report

Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 3,500

10 October 2003 19:30

Edinburgh	25–16	Llanelli Scarlets
	Report

Meadowbank Attendance: 2,643

10 October 2003 19:30

Munster	15–16	Ulster
Pen: Staunton (5)	Report	Try: Mallon Con: Larkin Pen: Larkin (3)

Musgrave Park Attendance: 4,000

11 October 2003 14:30

Celtic Warriors	22–32	Neath–Swansea Ospreys
	Report

Brewery Field Attendance: 2,500

11 October 2003 14:30

Connacht	42–19	Borders
	Report

Sportsground Attendance: 2,000

12 October 2003 14:30

Newport Gwent Dragons	27–5	Glasgow
	Report

Rodney Parade Attendance: 3,198

Round 5

17 October 2003 19:05

Newport Gwent Dragons	29–6	Munster
	Report

Rodney Parade Attendance: 3,571

17 October 2003 19:30

Glasgow	26–25	Borders
	Report

Hughenden Attendance: 2,712

17 October 2003 19:30

Neath–Swansea Ospreys	42–18	Edinburgh
	Report

The Gnoll Attendance: 4,525

17 October 2003 19:30

Ulster	26–20	Celtic Warriors
Try: Howe Cunningham Con: Larkin (2) Pen: Larkin (4)	Report	Try: Lewis Pen: Jenkins (5)

Ravenhill Attendance: 6,625

17 October 2003 19:35

Leinster	21–6	Connacht
	Report

Donnybrook Attendance: 2,100

18 October 2003 14:30

Llanelli Scarlets	35–20	Cardiff Blues
	Report

Stradey Park Attendance: 4,966

Round 6

24 October 2003 19:00

Connacht	20–25	Llanelli Scarlets
	Report

Dubarry Park Attendance: 2,310

24 October 2003 19:05

Celtic Warriors	19–12	Newport Gwent Dragons
	Report

Sardis Road Attendance: 2,100

24 October 2003 19:30

Munster	26–10	Glasgow
	Report

Musgrave Park Attendance: 2,000

24 October 2003 19:30

Borders	21–26	Leinster
	Report

Netherdale Attendance: 2,000

24 October 2003 19:35

Edinburgh	3–41	Ulster
Pen: Lee	Report	Try: Constable (3) Howe Topping Con: Larkin (5) Pen: Larkin (2)

Meadowbank Attendance: 2,600

25 October 2003 14:30

Cardiff Blues	43–6	Neath–Swansea Ospreys
	Report

Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 4,300

Round 7

31 October 2003 19:05

Neath–Swansea Ospreys	22–33	Connacht
	Report

St Helen's Attendance: 3,050

31 October 2003 19:30

Glasgow	10–31	Leinster
	Report

Hughenden Attendance: 2,734

31 October 2003 19:30

Munster	22–21	Celtic Warriors
	Report

Thomond Park Attendance: 3,500

31 October 2003 19:30

Ulster	32–7	Cardiff Blues
Try: Cunningham (2) Howe Shields Con: Larkin (3) Pen: Larkin (2)	Report	Try: Powell Con: Robinson

Ravenhill Attendance: 5,256

1 November 2003 14:30

Llanelli Scarlets	36–20	Borders
	Report

Racecourse Ground Attendance: 5,060

1 November 2003 18:00

Newport Gwent Dragons	34–22	Edinburgh
	Report

Rodney Parade Attendance: 3,012

Round 8

7 November 2003 19:05

Cardiff Blues	13–25	Newport Gwent Dragons
	Report

Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 4,000

7 November 2003 19:15

Celtic Warriors	29–23	Glasgow
	Report

Brewery Field Attendance: 1,950

7 November 2003 19:30

Edinburgh	20–9	Munster
	Report

Meadowbank Attendance: 2,300

7 November 2003 19:30

Borders	22–16	Neath–Swansea Ospreys
	Report

Netherdale Attendance: 1,500

7 November 2003 19:35

Leinster	31–20	Llanelli Scarlets
	Report

Donnybrook Attendance: 2,300

8 November 2003 14:30

Connacht	31–20	Ulster
Try: Mostyn Con: McHugh Pen: Elwood (2) McHugh (6)	Report	Try: Constable (2) Con: Larkin (2) Pen: Larkin (2)

Sportsground Attendance: 1,950

Round 9

23 November 2003 14:30

Newport Gwent Dragons	28–19	Connacht
	Report

Rodney Parade Attendance: 3,058

28 November 2003 19:05

Celtic Warriors	19–30	Edinburgh
	Report

Brewery Field Attendance: 2,000

28 November 2003 19:30

Glasgow	18–31	Llanelli Scarlets
	Report

Hughenden Attendance: 2,345

28 November 2003 19:35

Munster	31–10	Cardiff Blues
	Report

Musgrave Park Attendance: 5,500

28 November 2003 19:35

Ulster	46–5	Borders
Try: Cunningham Constable (2) Ward Shields Con: Wallace (5) Pen: Wallace (2)	Report	Try: Walker

Ravenhill Attendance: 5,585

29 November 2003 17:30

Neath–Swansea Ospreys	25–36	Leinster
	Report

The Gnoll Attendance: 4,046

Round 10

27 December 2003 14:00

Glasgow	16–25	Edinburgh
	Report

Hughenden Attendance: 4,384

27 December 2003 17:30

Cardiff Blues	10–26	Celtic Warriors
	Report

Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 6,000

2 January 2004 18:00

Borders	15–38	Newport Gwent Dragons
	Report

Netherdale Attendance: 3,000

2 January 2004 19:00

Connacht	0–3	Munster
	Report

Dubarry Park Attendance: 3,500

2 January 2004 19:05

Llanelli Scarlets	28–15	Neath–Swansea Ospreys
	Report

Stradey Park Attendance: 10,195

2 January 2004 19:35

Leinster	32–30	Ulster
Try: Contepomi Costello Con: O'Meara (2) Pen: O'Meara (6)	Report	Try: Howe Steinmetz Humphreys Con: Humphreys (3) Pen: Humphreys (3)

Donnybrook Attendance: 7,000

Round 11

6 February 2004 19:05

Newport Gwent Dragons	35–14	Leinster
	Report

Rodney Parade Attendance: 3,476

6 February 2004 19:15

Neath–Swansea Ospreys	33–11	Glasgow
	Report

The Gnoll Attendance: 2,675

6 February 2004 19:30

Edinburgh	10–50	Cardiff Blues
	Report

Meadowbank Attendance: 2,120

6 February 2004 19:30

Munster	29–21	Borders
	Report

Musgrave Park Attendance: 3,800

6 February 2004 19:30

Ulster	10–9	Llanelli Scarlets
Try: Cunningham Con: Larkin Pen: Larkin	Report	Pen: Bowen (2) Drop: Phillips

Ravenhill Attendance: 6,603

7 February 2004 17:30

Celtic Warriors	40–17	Connacht
	Report

Brewery Field Attendance: 1,500

Round 12

13 February 2004 19:00

Newport Gwent Dragons	15–9	Llanelli Scarlets
	Report

Rodney Parade Attendance: 4,545

13 February 2004 19:05

Cardiff Blues	29–19	Glasgow
	Report

Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 4,000

13 February 2004 19:30

Edinburgh	17–32	Connacht
	Report

Meadowbank Attendance: 1,396

13 February 2004 19:30

Ulster	31–19	Neath–Swansea Ospreys
Try: N. Best S. Young Wallace Brosnihan Con: Larkin (4) Pen: Larkin	Report	Try: Morris Williams Tiueti Con: Henson Tiueti

Ravenhill Attendance: 5,041

13 February 2004 19:35

Munster	24–13	Leinster
	Report

Musgrave Park Attendance: 5,400

15 February 2004 17:05

Celtic Warriors	29–24	Borders
	Report

Brewery Field Attendance: 1,500

Round 13

20 February 2004 19:30

Glasgow	27–25	Ulster
Try: A. Bulloch Lamont Lawson Con: Howarth (3) Pen: Howarth (2)	Report	Try: N. Best S. Young McCullough Con: Wallace (2) Pen: Larkin (2)

Hughenden Attendance: 3,189

20 February 2004 19:30

Llanelli Scarlets	37–20	Munster
	Report

Stradey Park Attendance: 6,169

20 February 2004 19:30

Neath–Swansea Ospreys	26–14	Newport Gwent Dragons
	Report

St Helen's Attendance: 2,178

20 February 2004 19:30

Borders	24–10	Edinburgh
	Report

Netherdale Attendance: 1,800

20 February 2004 19:35

Leinster	16–37	Celtic Warriors
	Report

Donnybrook Attendance: 3,800

21 February 2004 19:00

Connacht	18–21	Cardiff Blues
	Report

Dubarry Park Attendance: 2,676

Round 14

27 February 2004 19:05

Celtic Warriors	16–15	Llanelli Scarlets
	Report

Brewery Field Attendance: 3,900

27 February 2004 19:15

Cardiff Blues	59–13	Borders
	Report

Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 3,510

27 February 2004 19:30

Edinburgh	40–34	Leinster
	Report

Murrayfield Attendance: 2,120

27 February 2004 19:35

Munster	15–18	Neath–Swansea Ospreys
	Report

Musgrave Park Attendance: 8,000

28 February 2004 14:30

Connacht	28–28	Glasgow
	Report

Sportsground Attendance: 2,500

28 February 2004 17:30

Newport Gwent Dragons	27–19	Ulster
Try: Jarvis Luscombe Con: Montgomery Pen: Montgomery (5)	Report	Try: Wilson Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys (4)

Rodney Parade Attendance: 4,016

Round 15

5 March 2004 19:05

Neath–Swansea Ospreys	23–11	Celtic Warriors
	Report

The Gnoll Attendance: 3,336

5 March 2004 19:30

Glasgow	48–20	Newport Gwent Dragons
	Report

Hughenden Attendance: 2,860

5 March 2004 19:30

Leinster	18–22	Cardiff Blues
	Report

Donnybrook Attendance: 2,150

5 March 2004 19:30

Borders	40–29	Connacht
	Report

Netherdale Attendance: 1,500

5 March 2004 19:35

Ulster	36–13	Munster
Try: Sexton Wallace McMillan S. Young Con: Wallace (2) Pen: Larkin (4)	Report	Try: Murphy Con: Lawler Pen: Lawler (2)

Ravenhill Attendance: 8,820

6 March 2004 18:00

Llanelli Scarlets	47–12	Edinburgh
	Report

Stradey Park Attendance: 4,792

Round 16

12 March 2004 19:05

Celtic Warriors	0–28	Ulster
	Report	Try: Humphreys Stewart McMillan Con: Humphreys (2) Pen: Humphreys (3)

Brewery Field Attendance: 2,000

12 March 2004 19:30

Edinburgh	31–35	Neath–Swansea Ospreys
	Report

Meadowbank Attendance: 2,111

12 March 2004 19:30

Munster	6–16	Newport Gwent Dragons
	Report

Thomond Park Attendance: 4,470

12 March 2004 19:30

Borders	11–15	Glasgow
	Report

Netherdale Attendance: 1,650

13 March 2004 14:30

Connacht	35–24	Leinster
	Report

Sportsground Attendance: 3,850

13 March 2004 17:30

Cardiff Blues	0–6	Llanelli Scarlets
	Report

Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 7,000

Round 17

26 March 2004 19:00

Newport Gwent Dragons	20–18	Celtic Warriors
	Report

Rodney Parade Attendance: 4,366

26 March 2004 19:05

Llanelli Scarlets	33–33	Connacht
	Report

Stradey Park Attendance: 4,522

26 March 2004 19:30

Leinster	35–12	Borders
	Report

Donnybrook Attendance: 2,384

26 March 2004 19:30

Ulster	37–0	Edinburgh
Try: Howe (2) Larkin Sexton Wallace Con: Larkin (3) Pen: Larkin (2)	Report

Ravenhill Attendance: 6,328

26 March 2004 19:35

Glasgow	12–37	Munster
	Report

Hughenden Attendance: 2,645

28 March 2004 16:00

Neath–Swansea Ospreys	34–13	Cardiff Blues
	Report

St Helen's Attendance: 3,877

Round 18

2 April 2004 19:05

Celtic Warriors	29–25	Munster
	Report

Sardis Road Attendance: 4,157

2 April 2004 19:30

Edinburgh	14–19	Newport Gwent Dragons
	Report

Meadowbank Attendance: 2,942

2 April 2004 19:30

Leinster	31–30	Glasgow
	Report

Donnybrook Attendance: 3,655

2 April 2004 19:30

Borders	8–41	Llanelli Scarlets
	Report

Netherdale Attendance: 2,000

3 April 2004 14:30

Connacht	24–21	Neath–Swansea Ospreys
	Report

Sportsground Attendance: 2,964

3 April 2004 17:30

Cardiff Blues	19–15	Ulster
Try: Shanklin (2) Williams Con: Robinson Harris	Report	Try: Brosnihan S. Best Con: Humphreys Drop: Humphreys

Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 4,500

Round 19

16 April 2004 19:05

Neath–Swansea Ospreys	60–7	Borders
	Report

The Gnoll Attendance: 2,526

16 April 2004 19:30

Glasgow	19–44	Celtic Warriors
	Report

Hughenden Attendance: 2,863

16 April 2004 19:30

Llanelli Scarlets	51–20	Leinster
	Report

Stradey Park Attendance: 5,679

16 April 2004 19:30

Munster	17–28	Edinburgh
	Report

Musgrave Park Attendance: 4,935

16 April 2004 19:35

Ulster	42–27	Connacht
Try: Bowe Ward Wallace McMillan S. Young Con: Humphreys (4) Pen: Humphreys (3)	Report	Try: Munn McPhillips Con: McHugh Pen: McHugh (3) Hewitt (2)

Ravenhill Attendance: 7,286

17 April 2004 17:30

Newport Gwent Dragons	48–25	Cardiff Blues
	Report

Rodney Parade Attendance: 6,055

Round 20

30 April 2004 19:05

Cardiff Blues	60–14	Munster
	Report

Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 4,110

30 April 2004 19:30

Edinburgh	19–30	Celtic Warriors
	Report

Meadowbank Attendance: 1,957

30 April 2004 19:30

Leinster	16–16	Neath–Swansea Ospreys
	Report

Donnybrook Attendance: 1,068

30 April 2004 19:30

Borders	15–19	Ulster
Try: Fairley Setiti Con: Vili Pen: Vili	Report	Try: S. Best N. Best Pen: Humphreys (2) Drop: Humphreys

Netherdale Attendance: 1,200

1 May 2004 14:30

Connacht	14–32	Newport Gwent Dragons
	Report

Sportsground Attendance: 1,790

1 May 2004 17:30

Llanelli Scarlets	36–26	Glasgow
	Report

Racecourse Ground Attendance: 5,422

Round 21

7 May 2004 19:00

Newport Gwent Dragons	54–10	Borders
	Report

Rodney Parade Attendance: 5,297

7 May 2004 19:05

Celtic Warriors	30–26	Cardiff Blues
	Report

Brewery Field Attendance: 4,650

7 May 2004 19:30

Edinburgh	19–17	Glasgow
	Report

Meadowbank Attendance: 3,036

7 May 2004 19:30

Ulster	28–6	Leinster
Try: Howe (2) Humphreys Con: Humphreys (2) Pen: Humphreys (3)	Report	Pen: O'Meara (2)

Ravenhill Attendance: 12,000

7 May 2004 19:35

Munster	39–10	Connacht
	Report

Thomond Park Attendance: 3,233

9 May 2004 14:30

Neath–Swansea Ospreys	15–18	Llanelli Scarlets
	Report

St Helen's Attendance: 7,632

Round 22

13 May 2004 19:05

Cardiff Blues	55–22	Edinburgh
	Report

Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 3,620

14 May 2004 18:30

Connacht	3–20	Celtic Warriors
	Report

Sportsground Attendance: 2,145

14 May 2004 19:30

Glasgow	34–31	Neath–Swansea Ospreys
	Report

Hughenden Attendance: 2,227

14 May 2004 19:30

Borders	10–18	Munster
	Report

Netherdale Attendance: 2,000

14 May 2004 19:35

Leinster	56–39	Newport Gwent Dragons
	Report

Lansdowne Road Attendance: 2,520

14 May 2004 19:35

Llanelli Scarlets	23–16	Ulster
Pen: Jones (5) Drop: Jones	Report	Try: McMillan Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys (3)

Stradey Park Attendance: 10,000

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 Rank Player Club Points[1] 1 Neil Jenkins Celtic Warriors 273 2 Gavin Henson Neath–Swansea Ospreys 265 3 Gareth Bowen Llanelli Scarlets 240 4 Brian O'Meara Leinster 195 5 Percy Montgomery Newport Gwent Dragons 191

Top try scorers Rank Player Club Tries[2] 1 Jamie Robinson Cardiff Blues 12 2 Conor McPhillips Connacht 11 3 Jason Forster Newport Gwent Dragons 9 Tyrone Howe Ulster Sean Lamont Glasgow

Notes

1. Connacht also played three of their matches at Dubarry Park in Athlone.
2. Edinburgh played one league game at Murrayfield.
3. Leinster played one league game at Lansdowne Road.
4. Llanelli Scarlets played two of their home games at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham.

References

1. "Leading Points-Scorers". RaboDirect PRO12. Archived from the original on 17 January 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
2. "Leading Try-Scorers". RaboDirect PRO12. Archived from the original on 17 January 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2013.

External links

• Magners League official website Archived 26 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
• 2003–04 Celtic League at BBC
• Results from Magners League official website Archived 28 January 2013 at archive.today
• Celtic League table from WRU