How Munster Rugby Fixtures Have Changed Over The Years

The landscape of European rugby has changed beyond recognition over the past 25 years with more fixtures now packed into the schedule than ever before.

To put that change for Munster into context, the province played just six games in the entire 1995/96 season. Last November alone, Munster played five games as part of a 13-week block of fixtures and played 31 games last season.

Before the professional era, Munster played in the Interprovincial Championship against the other three provinces along with challenge fixtures against touring international sides.

European Rugby

The inaugural year of the European Cup in 1995/96 saw just 15 games played across the competition with four Pools of three teams and each club playing each other once.

Munster were narrowly denied a semi-final place and exited the competition after two Pool games with eventual winners Toulouse triumphing after winning all four of their games.

The teams involved were from Ireland, France, Wales, Romania and Italy.

Midweek fixtures were common in the early years of the European Cup with Munster’s first ever fixture against Swansea played on a Wednesday in November.

The majority of the players were selected from All Ireland League clubs but a number of Munster players who had signed for clubs in England were permitted to also line out for the province.

English and Scottish clubs joined the European Cup for the 1996/97 campaign with the tournament expanding to 20 teams (four Pools of five clubs).

Each club played four Pool games with quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final. The tournament was played in October, November and January.

In 1997/98, the competition format moved to the more familiar Pools of four with each club playing six Pool games.

By 1998/99, Munster had moved up to 14 games for the season across the European Cup, Interprovincial Championship and a challenge match against Morocco.

In reality, the 1998/99 season was actually the 1998 season as it started in August and was all over in five months following the European Cup quarter-final defeat to Colomiers in December 1998.

A change the following year saw the 1999/2000 European Cup schedule following a similar timeline to today’s with a December double-header and the final two Pool games in January.

Peter Stringer, Mick O’Driscoll and John Hayes in action against Colomiers in the December quarter-final.

The Celtic League

A view of Munster’s first ever Celtic League game against Edinburgh in Myreside, August 2001.

The formation of the Celtic League for the 2001/02 season put paid to the standalone Interprovincial Championships with Munster securing the 2000/01 Interpro title thanks to five wins and a final day 16-all draw with Leinster in Donnybrook.

The Celtic League began with a similar format to the current one, albeit with a third of the amount of fixtures.

There were 15 teams of two conferences, eight in Conference A and seven in Conference B. Each team would play one game against the others in their Conference with quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final.

The following season, there were 16 teams of two conferences with seven games each before the knock-out stages.

In 2003/04, the number of teams were reduced and the games increased. 12 teams took part with each team playing the others home and away, 22 games each and no knock-out games.

The Celtic Cup was introduced in the 2003/04 season with all 12 sides entering the straight knock-out competition.

The format changed for the 2004/05 campaign with the top eight facing off after the completion of the league campaign, this proved to be the final season of the competition with Munster defeating Scarlets in the final.

Knockout fixtures were reintroduced to The Celtic League, then the PRO12, in the 2009/10 season with the tour four teams progressing to semi-finals.

The most recent changes ahead of the 2017/18 season saw South African teams Cheetahs and Southern Kings added to make it the Guinness PRO14.

The league was again split into two Conferences with each team playing 21 games before the knockout stages.