2002–03 Celtic League

Countries|  Ireland
Scotland
Wales
Champions|  Munster (1st title)
Runners-up|  Neath
Matches played| 63
Attendance| 308,374
(average 4,895 per match)
Tries scored| 302
(average 4.8 per match)
Top point scorer| Brendan Laney (Edinburgh)
137 points[1]
Top try scorer| Mossie Lawlor (Munster)
Craig Morgan (Cardiff)
Mike Mullins (Munster)
6 tries[2]
Official website
www.rabodirectpro12.com

← 2001–02

2003–04 →

The 2002–03 Celtic League was the second season of the Celtic League, a rugby union tournament involving teams from Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

## Teams[edit]

Connacht

Leinster

Munster

Ulster

Edinburgh

Glasgow

The Borders

South Wales: see map at right

class=notpageimage|

Location of 2002–03 Celtic League teams in Scotland and Ireland.

Bridgend

Caerphilly

Cardiff

Ebbw Vale

Llanelli

Neath

Newport

Pontypridd

Swansea

class=notpageimage|

Location of 2002–03 Celtic League teams in Wales.

|

Pool A;  Pool B.
Team  | Stadium  | Capacity  | City, Area

|
|
|

Borders | Netherdale[a] | 6,000  | Galashiels, Scotland
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 | Meadowbank Stadium | 16,500  | 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[edit]

The teams were split into two pools and the pool stage consisted of a single round-robin; each team played the others in its pool once only.

### Pool A Table[edit]

| Team  | Pld  | W  | D  | L  | PF  | PA  | PD  | TF  | TA  | Try bonus  | Losing bonus  | Pts

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1 |  Munster | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 227 | 129 | +98 | 25 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 28
2 |  Edinburgh | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 231 | 145 | +86 | 24 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 27
3 |  Ulster | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 173 | 111 | +62 | 15 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 22
4 |  Neath | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 153 | 121 | +32 | 15 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 18
5 |  Llanelli | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 191 | 168 | +23 | 23 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 17
6 |  Swansea | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 177 | 212 | −35 | 18 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 16
7 |  Ebbw Vale | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 140 | 226 | −86 | 16 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 5
8 |  Caerphilly | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 144 | 324 | −180 | 17 | 42 | 2 | 1 | 3

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)

Green background (rows 1 to 4) qualify for the knock-out stage.
Source: RaboDirect PRO12

### Pool A Fixtures[edit]

30 August 2002
19:00

Neath | 25–6|  Caerphilly

|
|

| Report|
The Gnoll
Attendance: 3,000

30 August 2002
19:15

Ebbw Vale | 0–19|  Ulster

|
|

| Report[3]| Try: Wallace
Con: Humphreys
Pen: Humphreys (4)
Eugene Cross Park
Referee: Dave Pearson

30 August 2002
19:30

Edinburgh | 30–20|  Swansea

|
|

| Report|
Meadowbank
Attendance: 3,141

31 August 2002
19:05

Llanelli | 13–20|  Munster

|
|

| Report|
Stradey Park

* * *

6 September 2002
19:05

Swansea | 16–20|  Neath

|
|

| Report|
St Helen's
Attendance: 4,000

6 September 2002
19:30

Ulster | 18–19|  Edinburgh

|
|

Pen: Wallace (6)| Report[4]| Try: Laney
Con: Laney
Pen: Laney (3)
Drop: Hodge
Ravenhill
Attendance: 7,500

6 September 2002
19:35

Munster | 48–23|  Ebbw Vale

|
|

| Report|
Musgrave Park
Attendance: 3,500

7 September 2002
14:30

Caerphilly | 34–43|  Llanelli

|
|

| Report|
Virginia Park
Attendance: 1,300

* * *

13 September 2002
19:30

Edinburgh | 21–28|  Munster

|
|

| Report|
Meadowbank
Attendance: 4,500

14 September 2002
14:30

Ebbw Vale | 45–25|  Caerphilly

|
|

| Report|
Eugene Cross Park
Attendance: 1,000

14 September 2002
14:30

Swansea | 38–10|  Ulster

|
|

Try: K. Morgan, Robinson, Gibbs, Payne
Con: A. Thomas (3)
Pen: A. Thomas (4)| Report[5]| Try: Howe
Con: Humphreys
Pen: Humphreys
St Helen's
Attendance: 2,500

14 September 2002
17:30

Neath | 29–13|  Llanelli

|
|

| Report|
The Gnoll
Attendance: 6,000

* * *

20 September 2002
19:30

Ulster | 17–13|  Neath

|
|

Try: B. Cunningham, Howe
Con: Doak (2)
Pen: Doak| Report[6]| Try: S. Williams
Con: Jarvis
Pen: Jarvis (2)
Ravenhill
Attendance: 9,500

20 September 2002
19:35

Munster | 38–27|  Swansea

|
|

| Report|
Musgrave Park
Attendance: 8,000

21 September 2002
14:30

Caerphilly | 32–66|  Edinburgh

|
|

| Report|
Virginia Park
Attendance: 800

21 September 2002
14:30

Llanelli | 37–25|  Ebbw Vale

|
|

| Report|
Stradey Park
Attendance: 3,000

* * *

27 September 2002
19:05

Neath | 34–7|  Ebbw Vale

|
|

| Report|
The Gnoll
Attendance: 3,500

27 September 2002
19:30

Edinburgh | 38–14|  Llanelli

|
|

| Report|
Meadowbank
Attendance: 3,890

27 September 2002
19:35

Ulster | 26–17|  Munster

|
|

Try: Doak (2)
Con: Doak (2)
Pen: Doak (2)| Report[7]| Try: Lawler
Pen: Staunton (2)
Drop: Staunton, Holland
Ravenhill
Attendance: 6,000
Referee: P. Adams

28 September 2002
14:30

Swansea | 37–32|  Caerphilly

|
|

| Report|
St Helen's
Attendance: 2,500

* * *

4 October 2002
19:05

Llanelli | 62–6|  Swansea

|
|

| Report|
Stradey Park
Attendance: 6,883
Referee: David McHugh (Ireland) [8]

5 October 2002
14:30

Caerphilly | 15–67|  Ulster

|
|

Try: Chiltern (2)
Con: McLaughlin
Pen: McLaughlin| Report[9][10]| Try: Neil Best (2), Howe, Brosnihan, McWhirter, Stewart, Bell, Sexton
Con: Humphreys (6)
Pen: Humphreys (5)
Virginia Park
Attendance: 750

5 October 2002
14:30

Ebbw Vale | 20–30|  Edinburgh

|
|

| Report|
Eugene Cross Park

5 October 2002
17:30

Neath | 19–35|  Munster

|
|

| Report|
The Gnoll
Attendance: 4,000

* * *

25 October 2002
19:30

Edinburgh | 27–13|  Neath

|
|

| Report|
Meadowbank
Attendance: 3,171

25 October 2002
19:30

Munster | 41–0|  Caerphilly

|
|

| Report|
Thomond Park
Attendance: 2,532

25 October 2002
19:35

Ulster | 16–9|  Llanelli

|
|

Try: Doak
Con: Humphreys
Pen: Humphreys
Drop: Humphreys| Report[11]| Pen: Jones (3)
Ravenhill
Attendance: 10,500
Referee: John Hogg

26 October 2002
14:30

Swansea | 33–20|  Ebbw Vale

|
|

| Report|
St Helen's
Attendance: 2,000

### Pool B Table[edit]

| Team  | Pld  | W  | D  | L  | PF  | PA  | PD  | TF  | TA  | Try bonus  | Losing bonus  | Pts

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1 |  Pontypridd | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 182 | 120 | +62 | 15 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 26
2 |  Glasgow | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 216 | 166 | +50 | 22 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 23
3 |  Cardiff | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 178 | 151 | +27 | 17 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 20
4 |  Connacht | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 126 | 176 | −50 | 11 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 20
5 |  Leinster | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 191 | 154 | +37 | 22 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 18
6 |  Borders | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 142 | 169 | −27 | 15 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 12
7 |  Bridgend | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 127 | 187 | −60 | 11 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 10
8 |  Newport | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 121 | 160 | −39 | 9 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 8

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)

Green background (rows 1 to 4) qualify for the knock-out stage.
Source: RaboDirect PRO12

### Pool B Fixtures[edit]

30 August 2002
19:05

Newport | 5–13|  Bridgend

|
|

| Report|
Rodney Parade
Attendance: 6,165

30 August 2002
19:30

Borders | 27–28|  Connacht

|
|

| Report|
Philiphaugh
Attendance: 3,000

30 August 2002
19:35

Leinster | 31–18|  Pontypridd

|
|

| Report|
Donnybrook
Attendance: 4,500

31 August 2002
14:30

Cardiff | 35–44|  Glasgow

|
|

| Report|
Cardiff Arms Park
Attendance: 7,000

* * *

6 September 2002
18:00

Connacht | 23–22|  Cardiff

|
|

| Report|
Sportsground
Attendance: 2,500

6 September 2002
19:30

Glasgow | 25–21|  Leinster

|
|

| Report|
Hughenden
Attendance: 4,250

7 September 2002
14:30

Bridgend | 41–9|  Borders

|
|

| Report|
Brewery Field
Attendance: 3,000

7 September 2002
19:05

Pontypridd | 21–16|  Newport

|
|

| Report|
Sardis Road
Attendance: 5,800

* * *

13 September 2002
19:05

Bridgend | 9–26|  Pontypridd

|
|

| Report|
Brewery Field
Attendance: 4,500

13 September 2002
19:30

Borders | 15–18|  Cardiff

|
|

| Report|
Mansfield Park
Attendance: 4,213

13 September 2002
19:35

Leinster | 23–26|  Connacht

|
|

| Report|
Donnybrook
Attendance: 6,000

14 September 2002
14:30

Newport | 25–31|  Glasgow

|
|

| Report|
Rodney Parade
Attendance: 4,500

* * *

20 September 2002
17:45

Connacht | 18–12|  Newport

|
|

| Report|
Sportsground
Attendance: 3,000

20 September 2002
19:05

Pontypridd | 28–27|  Borders

|
|

| Report|
Sardis Road
Attendance: 4,600

20 September 2002
19:30

Glasgow | 47–11|  Bridgend

|
|

| Report|
Hughenden
Attendance: 4,500

21 September 2002
17:30

Cardiff | 30–17|  Leinster

|
|

| Report|
Cardiff Arms Park
Attendance: 6,500

* * *

27 September 2002
19:30

Borders | 23–18|  Leinster

|
|

| Report|
Netherdale
Attendance: 4,000

28 September 2002
14:30

Bridgend | 23–24|  Connacht

|
|

| Report|
Brewery Field
Attendance: 2,000

28 September 2002
14:30

Pontypridd | 34–28|  Glasgow

|
|

| Report|
Sardis Road
Attendance: 5,500

28 September 2002
17:30

Newport | 25–27|  Cardiff

|
|

| Report|
Rodney Parade
Attendance: 8,118

* * *

4 October 2002
19:30

Borders | 33–12|  Glasgow

|
|

| Report|
Netherdale
Attendance: 5,500

4 October 2002
19:35

Leinster | 42–14|  Newport

|
|

| Report|
Donnybrook
Attendance: 6,000

5 October 2002
14:30

Cardiff | 37–12|  Bridgend

|
|

| Report|
Cardiff Arms Park
Attendance: 7,500

5 October 2002
15:00

Connacht | 0–40|  Pontypridd

|
|

| Report|
Sportsground
Attendance: 3,000

* * *

25 October 2002
19:30

Glasgow | 29–7|  Connacht

|
|

| Report|
Hughenden
Attendance: 3,250

26 October 2002
14:30

Bridgend | 18–39|  Leinster

|
|

| Report|
Brewery Field
Attendance: 1,000

26 October 2002
14:30

Newport | 24–8|  Borders

|
|

| Report|
Rodney Parade
Attendance: 5,700

26 October 2002
17:30

Pontypridd | 15–9|  Cardiff

|
|

| Report|
Sardis Road
Attendance: 7,500

## Knockout stages[edit]

| Quarter-finals| | Semi-finals| | Final

|
|
|
|
|

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

| 29 November 2002 – Musgrave Park| | | | |

|  Munster| 33

| 3 January 2003 – Thomond Park

|  Connacht| 3 |

|  Munster| 42

| 30 November 2002 – Hughenden

| |  Ulster| 10 |

|  Glasgow| 17

| | 1 February 2003 – Millennium Stadium

|  Ulster| 20 |

|  Munster| 37

| 29 November 2002 – Sardis Road

| |  Neath| 17

|  Pontypridd| 12

| 4 January 2003 – The Gnoll|

|  Neath| 13 |

|  Neath| 32

| 30 November 2002 – Meadowbank

| |  Cardiff| 10 |

|  Edinburgh| 22

|  Cardiff| 26 |

### Quarter finals[edit]

29 November 2002
19:05

Pontypridd | 12–13|  Neath

|
|

| Report|
Sardis Road
Attendance: 6,000

29 November 2002
19:35

Munster | 33–3|  Connacht

|
|

| Report|
Musgrave Park
Attendance: 8,000

30 November 2002
14:45

Glasgow | 17–20|  Ulster

|
|

| Report|
Hughenden
Attendance: 5,346

30 November 2002
17:30

Edinburgh | 22–26|  Cardiff

|
|

| Report|
Meadowbank
Attendance: 3,918

### Semi finals[edit]

3 January 2003
19:35

Munster | 42–10|  Ulster

|
|

| Report|
Thomond Park
Attendance: 12,000

4 January 2003
17:30

Neath | 32–10|  Cardiff

|
|

| Report|
The Gnoll
Attendance: 6,471

## Final[edit]

1 February 2003
14:45

Munster | 37–17|  Neath

|
|

Try: Alan Quinlan
Marcus Horan
Rob Henderson
Con: Jeremy Staunton (2)
Pen: Jeremy Staunton (2)
Ronan O'Gara (4)| Report| Try: Adam Jones
Pen: Lee Jarvis (3)
Drop: Lee Jarvis
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Attendance: 30,076
Referee: Chris White (England)

|  |

|

| 15 | Jeremy Staunton
| 14 | John Kelly
| 13 | Mike Mullins
| 12 | Jason Holland
| 11 | Mossie Lawlor
| 10 | Ronan O'Gara
| 9 | Peter Stringer
| 8 | Anthony Foley
| 7 | Alan Quinlan
| 6 | Jim Williams (c)
| 5 | Mick O'Driscoll
| 4 | Donncha O'Callaghan
| 3 | John Hayes
| 2 | Frankie Sheahan
| 1 | Marcus Horan
Replacements:
| 16 | James Blaney
| 17 | Martin Cahill
| 18 | Mick Galwey
| 19 | Denis Leamy
| 20 | Mike Prendergast
| 21 | Rob Henderson
| 22 | Killian Keane
Coach:
Alan Gaffney
|  |

|

| 15 | Adrian Durston
| 14 | Gareth Morris
| 13 | James Storey
| 12 | Tevita Tiueti
| 11 | Shane Williams
| 10 | Lee Jarvis
| 9 | Andy Moore
| 8 | Nathan Bonner-Evans
| 7 | Brett Sinkinson
| 6 | Alivereti 'Alfi' Mocelutu
| 5 | Gareth Llewellyn (c)
| 4 | Andy Newman
| 3 | Adam Jones
| 2 | Barry Williams
| 1 | Duncan Jones
Replacements:
| 16 | Allan Bateman
| 17 | Shaun Connor
| 18 | Steve Tandy
| 19 | Adam Matthews
| 20 | Rowland Phillips
| 21 | Lyndon Bateman
| 22 | Andrew Millward
Coach:
Lyn Jones

## Leading scorers[edit]

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[edit]

| Rank  | Player  | Club  | Points[1]

|
|
|

1  |  Brendan Laney |  Edinburgh | 137
2  |  Tommy Hayes |  Glasgow | 105
3  |  Iestyn Harris |  Cardiff | 95
Lee Jarvis |  Neath
5  |  Arwel Thomas |  Swansea | 86

### Top try scorers[edit]

| Rank  | Player  | Club  | Tries[2]

|
|
|

1  |  Mossie Lawlor |  Munster | 6
Craig Morgan |  Cardiff
Mike Mullins |  Munster
4  |  Denis Hickie |  Leinster | 5
Derrick Lee |  Edinburgh

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ Borders also played matches at Philiphaugh Stadium, Selkirk and Mansfield Park, Hawick.

## External links[edit]

* Results from official website

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "Leading Points-Scorers". RaboDirect PRO12. Archived from the original on 17 January 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
2. ^ a b "Leading Try-Scorers". RaboDirect PRO12. Archived from the original on 17 January 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
3. ^ "Scrappy victory for Ulster", BBC Sport, 30 August 2002
4. ^ Gavin Mairs "Last gasp agony for jaded Ulster", Belfast Telegraph, 7 September 2002
5. ^ "Swansea's blistering pace exposes Ulster's deficiencies", Irish Independent, 15 September 2002
6. ^ "Ulster edge out Neath", BBC Sport, 20 September 2002
7. ^ "Doak one-man show just too much for Munster", Irish Independent, 28 September 2002
8. ^ "'We got what we deserved' - Connolly". www.walesonline.co.uk. 5 October 2002. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
9. ^ Mark McAuley, "Over and rout... Ulster whip the Welsh boyos", Sunday Life", 6 October 2002
10. ^ "Ulster hammer Caerphilly", BBC Sport, 5 October 2002
11. ^ "Ulster sneak past Llanelli", BBC Sport, 25 October 2002

* v
* t
* e

United Rugby Championship

Seasons|

| Celtic League|

* 2001–02
* 2002–03
* 2003–04
* 2004–05
* Celtic Cup
* 2005–06
* 2006–07
* 2007–08
* 2008–09
* 2009–10
* 2010–11

|

Pro12|

* 2011–12
* 2012–13
* 2013–14
* 2014–15
* 2015–16
* 2016–17

Pro14|

* 2017–18
* 2018–19
* 2019–20
* 2020–21
* Pro14 Rainbow Cup

United Rugby Championship|

* 2021–22
* 2022–23
* 2023–24

Teams|

| Active|

* Benetton
* Bulls
* Cardiff
* Connacht
* Dragons
* Edinburgh
* Glasgow Warriors
* Leinster
* Lions
* Munster
* Ospreys
* Scarlets
* Sharks
* Stormers
* Ulster
* Zebre Parma

|

Former|

* Bridgend
* Caerphilly
* Cardiff RFC
* Cheetahs
* Ebbw Vale
* Llanelli
* Neath
* Newport
* Pontypridd
* Swansea

Defunct|

* Aironi
* Border Reivers
* Celtic Warriors
* Southern Kings

Grounds|

* Aviva Stadium
* Cape Town Stadium
* Cardiff Arms Park
* Edinburgh Rugby Stadium
* Ellis Park Stadium
* Galway Sportsgrounds
* Musgrave Park
* Ravenhill Stadium
* Kings Park Stadium
* Loftus Versfeld Stadium
* Mapei Stadium – Città del Tricolore
* Murrayfield Stadium
* Parc y Scarlets
* RDS Arena
* Rodney Parade
* Scotstoun Stadium
* Stadio Comunale di Monigo
* Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
* Swansea.com Stadium
* Thomond Park

Grand Finals|

* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023

Player movements|

* 2014–15
* 2015–16
* 2016–17
* 2017–18
* 2018–19
* 2019–20
* 2020–21
* 2021–22
* 2022–23
* 2023–24

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