2001–02 Celtic League
The 2001–02 Celtic League was the inaugural season of the Celtic League. The first season would see fifteen teams compete: the four Irish provinces (Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster), two Scottish teams (Edinburgh Reivers and Glasgow) and all nine Welsh Premier Division teams (Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Ebbw Vale, Llanelli, Neath, Newport, Pontypridd and Swansea).
| 2001–02 Celtic League | |
|---|---|
| Countries | Ireland Scotland Wales |
| Champions | Leinster (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Munster |
| Matches played | 56 |
| Attendance | 252,213 (average 4,504 per match) |
| Tries scored | 271 (average 4.8 per match) |
| Top point scorer | David Humphreys (Ulster) 122 points |
| Top try scorer | Girvan Dempsey (Leinster) Denis Hickie (Leinster) 7 tries |
| Official website | |
| www | |
Played alongside each country's own national competitions, the teams were split into two groups (of 8 and 7) and played a series of round-robin matches with each team playing the other only once. The top four teams from each group proceeded into the knock-out phase until a champion was found. Clashes between teams in the 2001–02 Welsh-Scottish League also counted towards the new competition.
The 2001–02 competition was dominated by the Irish teams with all four sides reaching the last eight, three progressing to the semi-finals, and the final played at Lansdowne Road contested between Leinster and Munster with Leinster running out 24–20 winners. Leinster's 10-0 debut 'perfect season' is one of only two in the history of the competition in its various forms. The other, a 17-0 record, was also achieved by Leinster was in 2020.