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The 2003–04 Celtic League was the third Celtic League season, and the first following the formation of the five regional rugby sides in Wales. The Celtic League, having previously been played as a pool stage followed by knockout rounds was restructured into a typical league system, based on home and away games only. The league was won by the Llanelli Scarlets, with all the other Welsh regions finishing in the top 6. Following this season, the Celtic Warriors were bought-out and disbanded by the Welsh Rugby Union, and in subsequent years, only four Welsh sides have competed.
| 2003–04 Celtic League | |
|---|---|
| Countries |  Ireland Scotland Wales |
| Champions | Llanelli Scarlets (1st title) |
| Matches played | 132 |
| Attendance | 501,875 (average 3,802 per match) |
| Tries scored | 651 (average 4.9 per match) |
| Top point scorer | Neil Jenkins (Celtic Warriors) (273 points)[1] |
| Top try scorer | Jamie Robinson (Cardiff Blues) (12 tries)[2] |
| Official website | |
| www | |
 Winners;  2nd–4th place;  Other teams | |
| Team | Stadium | Capacity | City, Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Borders |
Netherdale | 6,000 | Galashiels, Scotland |
| Cardiff Blues |
Cardiff Arms Park | 12,500 | Cardiff, Wales |
| Celtic Warriors |
Brewery Field Sardis Road |
12,000 8,000 |
Bridgend, Wales Pontypridd, Wales |
| Connacht |
Galway Sportsgrounds[a] | 5,500 | Galway, Republic of Ireland |
| Edinburgh |
Meadowbank Stadium[b] | 7,500 | Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Glasgow |
Hughenden Stadium | 6,000 | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Leinster |
Donnybrook Stadium[c] | 6,000 | Dublin, Republic of Ireland |
| Llanelli Scarlets |
Stradey Park[d] | 10,800 | Llanelli, Wales |
| Munster |
Thomond Park Musgrave Park |
13,200 8,300 |
Limerick, Republic of Ireland Cork, Republic of Ireland |
| Neath–Swansea Ospreys |
St Helen's The Gnoll |
4,500 6,000 |
Swansea, Wales Neath, Wales |
| Newport Gwent Dragons |
Rodney Parade | 12,000 | Newport, Wales |
| Ulster |
Ravenhill | 12,800 | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TBP | LBP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Llanelli Scarlets |
22 | 16 | 1 | 5 | 597 | 385 | +212 | 57 | 39 | 7 | 3 | 76 |
| 2 | Ulster |
22 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 617 | 363 | +254 | 67 | 29 | 8 | 4 | 72 |
| 3 | Newport Gwent Dragons |
22 | 16 | 0 | 6 | 590 | 449 | +141 | 59 | 41 | 7 | 1 | 72 |
| 4 | Celtic Warriors |
22 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 560 | 451 | +109 | 48 | 37 | 5 | 4 | 65 |
| 5 | Neath–Swansea Ospreys |
22 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 582 | 512 | +70 | 55 | 60 | 5 | 4 | 55 |
| 6 | Cardiff Blues |
22 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 570 | 467 | +103 | 73 | 54 | 7 | 3 | 54 |
| 7 | Munster |
22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 422 | 456 | −34 | 45 | 49 | 6 | 5 | 51 |
| 8 | Leinster |
22 | 9 | 1 | 12 | 523 | 580 | −57 | 51 | 65 | 4 | 5 | 47 |
| 9 | Connacht |
22 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 479 | 550 | −71 | 50 | 59 | 5 | 3 | 44 |
| 10 | Edinburgh |
22 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 454 | 622 | −168 | 52 | 69 | 6 | 2 | 44 |
| 11 | Glasgow |
22 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 442 | 614 | −172 | 52 | 61 | 3 | 3 | 32 |
| 12 | Borders |
22 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 363 | 750 | −387 | 42 | 88 | 1 | 5 | 22 |
|
Under the standard bonus point system, points are awarded as follows:
| |||||||||||||
| Source: RaboDirect PRO12 Archived 22 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine | |||||||||||||
Round 1
| 5 September 2003 19:05 |
| Neath–Swansea Ospreys | 41–30 | Ulster |
| Try: Tiueti Durston Henson (2) Con: Connor (2) Henson Pen: Connor (4) Henson | Report | Try: Stewart McCormack Ward Con: Wallace (3) Pen: Wallace (3) |
| The Gnoll Attendance: 4,250 |
| 6 September 2003 17:30 |
| Llanelli Scarlets | 35–11 | Newport Gwent Dragons |
| Report |
| Stradey Park Attendance: 4,300 |
Round 2
| 12 September 2003 19:05 |
| Newport Gwent Dragons | 29–19 | Neath–Swansea Ospreys |
| Report |
| Rodney Parade Attendance: 3,874 |
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
| 17 October 2003 19:30 |
| Ulster | 26–20 | Celtic Warriors |
| Try: Howe Cunningham Con: Larkin (2) Pen: Larkin (4) | Report | Try: Lewis Pen: Jenkins (5) |
| Ravenhill Attendance: 6,625 |
Round 6
| 24 October 2003 19:35 |
| Edinburgh | 3–41 | Ulster |
| Pen: Lee | Report | Try: Constable (3) Howe Topping Con: Larkin (5) Pen: Larkin (2) |
| Meadowbank Attendance: 2,600 |
| 25 October 2003 14:30 |
| Cardiff Blues | 43–6 | Neath–Swansea Ospreys |
| Report |
| Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 4,300 |
Round 7
Round 8
| 7 November 2003 19:05 |
| Cardiff Blues | 13–25 | Newport Gwent Dragons |
| Report |
| Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 4,000 |
Round 9
Round 10
| 2 January 2004 19:05 |
| Llanelli Scarlets | 28–15 | Neath–Swansea Ospreys |
| Report |
| Stradey Park Attendance: 10,195 |
Round 11
| 6 February 2004 19:30 |
| Ulster | 10–9 | Llanelli Scarlets |
| Try: Cunningham Con: Larkin Pen: Larkin | Report | Pen: Bowen (2) Drop: Phillips |
| Ravenhill Attendance: 6,603 |
Round 12
| 13 February 2004 19:00 |
| Newport Gwent Dragons | 15–9 | Llanelli Scarlets |
| Report |
| Rodney Parade Attendance: 4,545 |
Round 13
| 20 February 2004 19:30 |
| Glasgow | 27–25 | Ulster |
| Try: A. Bulloch Lamont Lawson Con: Howarth (3) Pen: Howarth (2) | Report | Try: N. Best S. Young McCullough Con: Wallace (2) Pen: Larkin (2) |
| Hughenden Attendance: 3,189 |
| 20 February 2004 19:30 |
| Neath–Swansea Ospreys | 26–14 | Newport Gwent Dragons |
| Report |
| St Helen's Attendance: 2,178 |
Round 14
| 28 February 2004 17:30 |
| Newport Gwent Dragons | 27–19 | Ulster |
| Try: Jarvis Luscombe Con: Montgomery Pen: Montgomery (5) | Report | Try: Wilson Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys (4) |
| Rodney Parade Attendance: 4,016 |
Round 15
Round 16
| 12 March 2004 19:05 |
| Celtic Warriors | 0–28 | Ulster |
| Report | Try: Humphreys Stewart McMillan Con: Humphreys (2) Pen: Humphreys (3) |
| Brewery Field Attendance: 2,000 |
Round 17
Round 18
Round 19
Round 20
Round 21
Round 22
| 14 May 2004 19:35 |
| Llanelli Scarlets | 23–16 | Ulster |
| Pen: Jones (5) Drop: Jones | Report | Try: McMillan Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys (3) |
| Stradey Park Attendance: 10,000 |
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
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Top try scorers
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- Connacht also played three of their matches at Dubarry Park in Athlone.
- Edinburgh played one league game at Murrayfield.
- Leinster played one league game at Lansdowne Road.
- Llanelli Scarlets played two of their home games at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham.
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