The 2006β07 Celtic League (known as the 2006β07 Magners League for sponsorship reasons) was the sixth
Celtic League season and the first with
Magners as title sponsor. The season commenced on 1 September and was completed on 12 May.
The league was won for the second time in three seasons by the Ospreys, with a final-day win over the Borders, playing their last match, as the
Scottish Rugby Union had announced that the Borders would not exist in the following season.[3] Cardiff Blues finished second, making this the only season of the tournament (as of 2021) in which no Irish team made the top two of the
United Rugby Championship and predecessor tournaments.[4]
Ulster began the season as the reigning champions whilst Munster are
Heineken Cup champions of the 2005β06 season. Prior to the season commencing it was announced by the
Irish Rugby Football Union that some of their internationals were to be rested during part of the season as the Rugby World Cup takes place at the end. This would include the first four matches of the season, to allow for recovery from the June internationals. Those who did not play much during the internationals may return sooner.[5] Major signings during the off-season include
Justin Marshall for the Ospreys[6] and
Stephen Jones for the Scarlets.[7] The free weekend scheme, where each team that did not compete in a match on a weekend due to the odd number of teams in the league would receive 4 points, was scrapped.[8]
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. At the start of the season it was announced that the BBC Wales and S4C had extended their contract to show Celtic League until the end of the 2009/10 season.[9]
Notes
^Although Murrayfield's full capacity is 67,144, only the lower section of the West Stand, with a capacity of 12,464, is generally opened for Edinburgh fixtures.
^Leinster played two of their games at
Lansdowne Road, those against
Munster and
Ulster. The latter was billed as The Last Stand and was the final match played in Lansdowne Road before its demolition and replacement by the
Aviva Stadium.