2008–09 Celtic League

2008–09 Celtic League
Countries	Ireland Scotland Wales
Champions	Munster (2nd title)
Runners-up	Edinburgh
Matches played	90
Attendance	731,328 (average 8,126 per match)
Tries scored	352 (average 3.9 per match)
Top point scorer	Felipe Contepomi (Leinster) James Hook (Ospreys) (161 points)[1]
Top try scorer	Thom Evans (Glasgow) (9 tries)[2]
Official website
www.rabodirectpro12.com

The 2008–09 Celtic League (known as the 2008–09 Magners League for sponsorship reasons) was the eighth Celtic League season and the third with Magners as title sponsor. The season began in September 2008 and ended in May 2009. Ten teams played each other on a home-and-away basis, with teams earning four points for a win, and a bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match. Losing teams also earned a bonus point if they lost by seven points or less.

The ten competing teams consisted of the four Irish provinces, Munster, Leinster, Connacht and Ulster; two Scottish regions, Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors; and four Welsh regions, Cardiff Blues, Newport Gwent Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets. The Scarlets were originally known as the "Llanelli Scarlets", but renamed themselves at the start of the season, in order to reflect their regional identity.^[3]

Munster were crowned champions on 30 April 2009 after the Ospreys beat the Newport Gwent Dragons 27–18 but failed to claim a bonus point.^[4]

Connacht Leinster Munster Ulster Edinburgh Glasgow Warriors Blues Dragons Ospreys Scarlets Location of 2008–09 Celtic League teams in Great Britain and Ireland.

Winners; 2nd–4th place; Other teams.

Team	Stadium	Capacity	City, Area
Cardiff Blues	Cardiff Arms Park	12,500	Cardiff, Wales
Connacht	Galway Sportsgrounds	5,500	Galway, Republic of Ireland
Edinburgh	Murrayfield Stadium	12,464[a]	Edinburgh, Scotland
Glasgow Warriors	Firhill Stadium	10,887	Glasgow, Scotland
Leinster	RDS Arena	18,500	Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Munster	Thomond Park Musgrave Park	26,500 8,300	Limerick, Republic of Ireland Cork, Republic of Ireland
Newport Gwent Dragons	Rodney Parade	12,000	Newport, Wales
Ospreys	Liberty Stadium	20,500	Swansea, Wales
Scarlets	Parc y Scarlets Stradey Park	14,870 10,800	Llanelli, Wales
Ulster	Ravenhill	12,800	Belfast, Northern Ireland

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	Try bonus	Losing bonus	Pts
1	Munster	18	14	0	4	405	257	+148	49	23	6	1	63
2	Edinburgh	18	11	0	7	416	296	+120	40	30	6	5	55
3	Leinster	18	11	1	6	401	270	+131	38	20	4	2	52
4	Ospreys	18	11	0	7	397	319	+78	39	28	3	5	52
5	Scarlets	18	9	0	9	376	395	−19	41	46	3	1	40
6	Cardiff Blues	18	8	1	9	322	361	−39	31	36	2	2	38
7	Glasgow Warriors	18	7	0	11	349	375	−26	36	41	4	5	37
8	Ulster	18	7	0	11	298	331	−33	30	33	2	6	36
9	Newport Gwent Dragons	18	7	0	11	305	429	−124	26	39	1	4	33
10	Connacht	18	4	0	14	224	460	−236	20	54	1	3	20
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

• All-Welsh Round 5 matches played mid-week to allow Welsh teams to play in the Anglo-Welsh Cup.

• All-Welsh Round 6 matches played mid-week to allow Welsh teams to play in the Anglo-Welsh Cup.

• Round 13 match rescheduled to allow Ospreys to play in the Anglo-Welsh Cup semi-final.

• Round 15 match rescheduled to allow Cardiff Blues to play in the Anglo-Welsh Cup final.

• Round 13 match rescheduled to allow Cardiff Blues to play in the Anglo-Welsh Cup semi-final.

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.

Television rights for the league are split between three broadcasters, BBC Wales, S4C and Setanta Sports. BBC Wales and S4C continues to cover the Pro12.^[6]