Three-Year Accord Signed For Celtic League
The Celtic League is to continue in its present format for another three seasons, following an agreement signed on behalf of the three participating nations in Dublin on Monday.
The Celtic League is to continue in its present format for another three seasons, following an agreement signed on behalf of the three participating nations in Dublin on Monday.
The meeting of the Celtic League Board – chaired by John Hussey – also confirmed that next season’s league would be structured in such a way as to ensure that none of the league’s 22 rounds clashes with either the autumn internationals or the RBS 6 Nations Championship weekends.
With the competition set to continue until at least May 2008, all three nations also agreed that they would uniformly use the finishing positions of their respective teams in the league as their Heineken Cup qualification vehicle.
The unconditional support for the league as a tournament and as the means of qualification for the Heineken Cup, will see the withdrawal of the end of season Celtic Cup play-offs after this season’s final on May 14, too.
Fixture details of next season’s Celtic League – which will run from September 3, 2005 until the last weekend of May, 2006 – are to be released next month.