2011–12 Celtic League - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The 2011–12 RaboDirect PRO12 will be the 11th Celtic League

Celtic League (rugby union)

The Celtic League is an annual rugby union competition involving professional sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....

season and the first with RaboDirect as title sponsor.

The twelve teams competing were the four Irish provinces, Munster

Munster Rugby

Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...

, Leinster

Leinster Rugby

Leinster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Leinster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Dublin, representing the Irish province of Leinster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro 12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...

, Connacht

Connacht Rugby

Connacht Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Connacht that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 comprising teams from the Celtic nations plus Italy. Normally, it also competes in the second-tier pan-European club competition, the European Challenge Cup...

and Ulster

Ulster Rugby

Ulster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Ulster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Belfast, representing the Irish province of Ulster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...

; two Scottish regions, Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors

Glasgow Warriors

The Glasgow Warriors, formerly Glasgow Rugby, are one of two professional rugby union teams in Scotland, Edinburgh being the other. They play in the RaboDirect Pro12 and their home ground is Firhill Stadium, also the home of Partick Thistle Football Club.-History:Glasgow Rugby were created to...

; four Welsh regions, Cardiff Blues

Cardiff Blues

Cardiff Blues are one of the four professional Welsh regional rugby union teams. Based in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, the team have played at Cardiff City Stadium since the start of the 2009/2010 season and are owned by Cardiff Rugby Football Club....

, Newport Gwent Dragons

Newport Gwent Dragons

Newport Gwent Dragons are one of the four professional Rugby Union regional teams in Wales. They are jointly owned by Newport RFC and the Welsh Rugby Union and play all their home games at Rodney Parade, Newport. They play in the RaboDirect Pro12, the Anglo-Welsh Cup and the Heineken Cup...

, Ospreys and Scarlets; and two Italian franchises Aironi

Aironi

Aironi Rugby are an Italian professional rugby club competing in the RaboDirect Pro12 and the Heineken Cup. They represent the Italian regions of Lombardy and Emilia Romagna.- Home ground :...

and Benetton Treviso

Benetton Rugby Treviso

Benetton Rugby Treviso are an Italian professional rugby union club currently competing in the RaboDirect Pro12 and the Heineken Cup.They are based in Treviso in Veneto, and owned by the Benetton clothing company....

Teams

Team	Coach	Captain	Stadium	Capacity
Aironi Aironi Aironi Rugby are an Italian professional rugby club competing in the RaboDirect Pro12 and the Heineken Cup. They represent the Italian regions of Lombardy and Emilia Romagna.- Home ground :...	Wales Rowland Phillips Rowland Phillips Rowland David Phillips is a former rugby union back row forward for Wales where he won 10 caps between 1987-90. He also played rugby union for Neath RFC before moving to rugby league, playing for Warrington, and Workington Town.He also played for Wales and Great Britain rugby league teams...	Italy Quintin Geldenhuys Quintin Geldenhuys Quintin Geldenhuys is a South Africa-born Italian rugby union player. Geldenhuys, who is a lock, acts as captain of the Italian Pro12 franchise Aironi. He made his debut for Italy against Australia on 13 June 2009. He qualified for Italy through residency.-References:...	Stadio Luigi Zaffanella Stadio Luigi Zaffanella Stadio Luigi Zaffanella is a multi-use stadium in Viadana, Italy. It is currently used mostly for rugby union and football matches. It is the home ground of Aironi for their Celtic League games.... Stadio Giglio Stadio Giglio Stadio Giglio is a multi-purpose stadium in Reggio Emilia, Italy. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of A.C. Reggiana 1919. It has also hosted rugby union matches, and will be a "big-match" venue for the newly launched Magners League team Aironi. The stadium...	6,000 29,546
Benetton Treviso Benetton Rugby Treviso Benetton Rugby Treviso are an Italian professional rugby union club currently competing in the RaboDirect Pro12 and the Heineken Cup.They are based in Treviso in Veneto, and owned by the Benetton clothing company....	South Africa Franco Smith	Italy Antonio Pavanello Antonio Pavanello Antonio Pavanello is an Italian rugby union player. His preferred position is in the Second Row although he can also play equally well in the back-row. He currently plays for Benetton Rugby Treviso in the RaboDirect Pro12 competition and the European Heineken Cup...	Stadio Comunale di Monigo Stadio Comunale di Monigo Stadio Comunale di Monigo is a sports stadium in Treviso, Italy. The stadium is used for rugby union, and the Benetton Treviso team play games at the stadium. It can hold around 6,700 people. It has seen growing attendances in recent years, as the sport has increased in popularity.-External links:*...	6,700
Cardiff Blues Cardiff Blues Cardiff Blues are one of the four professional Welsh regional rugby union teams. Based in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, the team have played at Cardiff City Stadium since the start of the 2009/2010 season and are owned by Cardiff Rugby Football Club....	Gareth Baber Gareth Baber Gareth Baber , is a Welsh former rugby footballer and now a rugby union coach.During his playing career Baber earned a Blue for Oxford University's rugby team... / Justin Burnell Justin Burnell Justin Burnell is a Welsh former rugby footballer and now a rugby union coach.During his playing career as a back row forward Burnell played for Treorchy RFC, Bridgend RFC and Neath RFC....	Paul Tito Paul Tito Paul Tito is a New Zealand rugby union player. His usual position is at lock. He is 1.97m tall and weighs 110 kg. He attended New Plymouth Boys' High School and represented NZ at U19 level in 1997, U21 from 1998–1999 and the NZ Maori in 2000–2001 and 2003...	Cardiff City Stadium	26,828
Connacht Connacht Rugby Connacht Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Connacht that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 comprising teams from the Celtic nations plus Italy. Normally, it also competes in the second-tier pan-European club competition, the European Challenge Cup...	Eric Elwood Eric Elwood Eric Elwood is a former rugby union player and was capped first for Ireland while playing for Connacht and Lansdowne before he returned to Galwegians RFC, the club of his youth....	Gavin Duffy Gavin Duffy Gavin Duffy is a rugby union footballer who plays at full back or at centre for Connacht Rugby.Educated at Cistercian College, Roscrea and UCG he first played for Ireland at Schools level in 1998 and at Under-21 level before he was brought into their senior side during the 2000/01 season.Duffy...	Galway Sportsgrounds Galway Sportsgrounds Galway Sportsground, also known as The Sportsground, is a multi-purpose stadium in Galway, Ireland. It opened in 1927, with the playing of a soccer match...	7,500
Edinburgh	Michael Bradley	Greig Laidlaw Greig Laidlaw Greig Laidlaw is a Scottish professional rugby scrum-half and out half, currently with Edinburgh Rugby. Laidlaw also plays for Scotland...	Murrayfield Stadium Murrayfield Stadium Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...	67,130 (limited to 12,464)
Glasgow Warriors Glasgow Warriors The Glasgow Warriors, formerly Glasgow Rugby, are one of two professional rugby union teams in Scotland, Edinburgh being the other. They play in the RaboDirect Pro12 and their home ground is Firhill Stadium, also the home of Partick Thistle Football Club.-History:Glasgow Rugby were created to...	Sean Lineen Sean Lineen Sean Lineen is a Scottish rugby player, originally from New Zealand. He has been awarded the freedom of the city of Edinburgh.-Early life:Lineen was born on December 25, 1961, in Auckland. He is the son of rugby player Terry Lineen....	Alastair Kellock Alastair Kellock Alastair Kellock is a rugby union player for Glasgow Warriors in the RaboDirect Pro12.Kellock's position of choice is as a Lock....	Firhill Stadium Firhill Stadium Firhill Stadium or Firhill Arena is a football, rugby union and rugby league stadium located in the Maryhill area of Glasgow, Scotland. As of 2010 it is the home ground of football club Partick Thistle F.C...	10,887
Leinster Leinster Rugby Leinster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Leinster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Dublin, representing the Irish province of Leinster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro 12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...	Josef Schmidt Josef Schmidt (rugby union) Josef Schmidt is a New Zealand rugby union coach. Schmidt coached the New Zealand Schools Rugby Team before coaching Bay of Plenty Rugby Union from 2003–2004. While at the Steamers he won the Ranfurly Shield defeating Auckland on August 15, 2004 The Steamers had one successful defence of the title...	Leo Cullen Leo Cullen (rugby player) Leo Cullen is an Irish rugby union player who plays Lock for Irish club Leinster Rugby and Ireland. He was educated, firstly at Willow Park which is the junior school to Blackrock College where he attended secondary school...	RDS Arena RDS Arena RDS Arena is a multi-purpose sports stadium, owned by the Royal Dublin Society and located in the Dublin suburb of Ballsbridge, Ireland.The arena was originally developed to host equestrian events, including the annual Dublin Horse Show, which was first held there in 1868. The site was acquired in... Aviva Stadium Aviva Stadium The Aviva Stadium is a sports stadium located in Dublin, Ireland, with a capacity for 50,000 spectators. The stadium is built on the site of the old Lansdowne Road venue, which was demolished in 2007, and replaces that stadium as home to its chief tenants: the Irish rugby union team and the...	18,500 (16,500 seated) 51,700
Munster Munster Rugby Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...	Tony McGahan Tony McGahan Tony McGahan is an Australian rugby union coach and the current director of coaching of Munster.-Early career:Born in Queensland, Australia, a teacher by profession, a BE in Physical Education from Queensland University of Technology, he played Rugby Union with Queensland Schoolboys and Eastern...	Paul O'Connell Paul O'Connell Paul O'Connell is an Irish rugby union player who plays lock for Munster and Ireland. He also captained the British and Irish Lions on their 2009 tour to South Africa.-Early life:...	Thomond Park Thomond Park Thomond Park is a stadium located in Limerick in the Irish province of Munster. The stadium is owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union and count Munster Rugby, Shannon RFC and UL Bohemian RFC as tenants. The capacity of the stadium is 26,500 following its large scale redevelopment in... Musgrave Park Musgrave Park, Cork Musgrave Park is a rugby football stadium in the city of Cork, Ireland. The ground consists of four terraces, one stand, three tribunes, one jogging track, and two VIP stands on the west side. Musgrave has a capacity of about 9,251 and is situated on Pearse Road in Ballyphehane...	26,500 (15,100 seated) 9,251
Newport Gwent Dragons Newport Gwent Dragons Newport Gwent Dragons are one of the four professional Rugby Union regional teams in Wales. They are jointly owned by Newport RFC and the Welsh Rugby Union and play all their home games at Rodney Parade, Newport. They play in the RaboDirect Pro12, the Anglo-Welsh Cup and the Heineken Cup...	Darren Edwards Darren Edwards Darren Edwards is a former rugby union player. A scrum-half, he was a member of the 2003 Wales national rugby union team squad and he played forWales at Wales A, Sevens, Under 21, Students and Under 18 levels...	Tom Willis	Rodney Parade Rodney Parade Rodney Parade is a stadium in the city of Newport, south Wales. Located on the east bank of the River Usk in Newport city centre it is primarily used for rugby matches and is the home ground of Newport RFC and the Newport Gwent Dragons regional team.-History:...	11,676
Ospreys	Scott Johnson Scott Johnson (rugby coach) Scott Johnson , is an Australian rugby union coach.-Playing career:Playing as a fly half or a centre, Johnson played for Parramatta Two Blues and Eastwood, and was captain of both the New South Wales Waratahs and Australian Under 21s...	Alun-Wyn Jones	Liberty Stadium Liberty Stadium, Swansea The Liberty Stadium is a purpose-built sports stadium and conferencing venue in the Landore area of Swansea, Wales. The stadium is all-seated, with a capacity of 20,532 making it the largest purpose-built venue in Swansea and the third largest stadium in Wales after the Millennium Stadium and the...	20,532
Scarlets	Nigel Davies	Matthew Rees Matthew Rees Matthew Rees is a Wales and British Lions international rugby union footballer who currently plays for the Scarlets in the Celtic League. His usual position is at hooker...	Parc y Scarlets Parc y Scarlets Parc y Scarlets is a rugby union stadium in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, that opened in November 2008 as the new home of the Scarlets and Llanelli RFC. The ground replaced Stradey Park, the home of Llanelli's rugby teams for almost 130 years...	14,870
Ulster Ulster Rugby Ulster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Ulster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Belfast, representing the Irish province of Ulster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...	Brian McLaughlin	Johann Muller	Ravenhill Stadium Ravenhill Stadium Ravenhill Stadium is located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is used by Ulster Rugby. It has a normal capacity of 12,300 and is owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union.-History:The grounds were opened in the 1923/24 season...	12,300

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