Celtic League Leads The Way For Excitement

There have been an incredible five different leaders in the first seven weeks of the Celtic League, and the topsy-turvy nature of the tournament is providing one of the highlights of the season, with the new bonus-points system adding extra spice, interest and excitement.
The League’s first leaders were the Celtic Warriors, who lasted two weeks before handing the baton to the Llanelli Scarlets. The Stradey Park team’s reign at the top lasted barely seven days before Edinburgh Rugby took over.
The Scottish side were immediately replaced by the Neath-Swansea Ospreys who in turn were overtaken by Ulster for the past two weeks.
The burden of the leadership has been tough on some teams. The Warriors have gone from first to sixth in five weeks, while Edinburgh have gone from No 1 to No 9 in only three weeks.
The Borders have been in the bottom two for the entire tournament, but 2001-02 champions Leinster are sneaking their way up the board, going from last to eighth on the back of three consecutive wins.
Bonus points aren’t guaranteeing high places on the table. The only two teams to secure four bonus points – the Warriors and Munster – are sixth and seventh, respectively, while the second-placed Scarlets have only one extra point.
The other statistic to catch the eye is the lack of draws in Celtic League rugby. In the first two seasons of the tournament, the 112 matches provided just two draws, while the 42 games so far this season have yet to produce a tied result.