Celtic Rugby is delighted to announce that Magners Irish Cider is to become the inaugural Title Sponsor of Celtic Rugby’s League competition.

This will see the competition named as the ‘Magners League’ until 2008.

Last season the league’s attendance record was broken five times resulting in a 20% increase in average attendance, Cardiff Blues currently hold the record of 15,327 people attending the match played against Leinster. Magners’ commitment to invest substantially in all countries involved with Celtic Rugby over the next two years will ensure the continued growth of the competition.

John Hussey, Chairman of Celtic Rugby, commented on the announcement:”We have worked hard to secure the future of Celtic Rugby, and with the new Title Sponsorship agreement in place we are very confident that the Magners League will grow to become one of leading competitions in World Rugby.”

Maurice Breen, Marketing Director of WM Magners said:
“We are delighted to have secured Title Sponsorship of this exciting competition. The Magners League taps into the passion of fans across the UK and Ireland and our aim is to extend the reach for the competition and to enhance the fan’s experience. We have an exciting vision for the future of the Magners League and we see this complementing our ambition in the UK and Ireland.

The sponsorship deal builds upon Magners existing commitment to Rugby Union as Shirt Sponsors of both the Edinburgh Gunners and London Wasps.”

David Jordan, Director of Celtic Rugby said:
“The decision by Magners to partner with Celtic Rugby demonstrates that the strategic review that we undertook has delivered success. Our partnership with Magners is an exciting one and we look forward to working together over the coming years. Magners share our vision for the future of the competition and to have them as our inaugural Title Sponsor is a huge endorsement of the competition.”

Celtic Rugby is delighted to announce fixtures for the 2006/7 season. To see the fixtures click here>> or for more information on the other Magners league competitors visit www.celticleague.com

Cardiff Blues face an opening weekend fixture against Munster. The hectic Christmas period sees the team play home games against Scarlets and Ospreys as well as visiting Rodney Parade to play the Dragons. Management and supporters should look forward to another strong finish to the league campaign with four home games in the final five matches.