The Celtic League began life on 17 August 2001 contested between 15 teams from Wales (9), Ireland (4) and Scotland (2), split into two pools playing each other just once, with three points awarded for a win and one for a draw.
Brewery Field hosted the first ever match between Bridgend and Pontypridd, which the visitors won 27-19, whilst Pontypridd's Richard Johnston scored the first ever league try after ten minutes.
The top four teams from each pool qualify for the knockout quarter-finals in late November.
The semi-finals take place early in December, whilst the inaugural final is staged at Lansdowne Road on 15 December 2001 where 30,000 fans saw Leinster defeat Munster 24-20.
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