Total attendance rose by almost 50,000 for the entire season and when the Blues welcomed Leinster to Cardiff, 15,327 fans turned out in a new league record.
Early Winners:
Until Leinster in 2013-14, no side had ever retained the GUINNESS PRO12 title, but Ospreys, champions in 2004, put their best foot forward in the season opener against Michael Cheika's side and denied the Irish province 22-20 thanks to a last-minute long-range Matthew Jones penalty.
Lyn Jones' side though, failed to replicate the form of the previous season and lost three of their next four games.
A trip to Musgrave Park to face Declan Kidney's Munster side ended in a 37-10 loss before two visits to Scotland in successive weeks ended in two losses. Border Reivers sprung a major upset in turning over the Welsh region 16-6 at Netherdale before eventual fifth place finishers Edinburgh scalped them 24-18 at BT Murrayfield.
After the initial loss, Cheika's side went up and up. Their home form in particular was excellent as they won seven of their next nine fixtures - the only loss at Donnybrook coming against an Edinburgh side including Alastair Kellock, Phil Godman and Simon Webster.
Leinster also completed a league double over compatriots and principal title rivals Ulster, following up a monumental 30-23 win at Donnybrook with a 24-19 Boxing Day win at the Kingspan Stadium in one of the season's many Felipe Contepomi-inspired triumphs.
Ulster though - under current Saracens Director of Rugby Mark McCall - were consistently turning in positive results and despite the disappointment in losing twice to their bitter rivals, were very much in the title frame.
Run-in:
Leinster's festive form saw Contepomi at his imperious best once again, scoring two tries, three penalties and three conversions for 25 points in retribution for their earlier 33-9 loss to the men in red and a retort to Declan Kidney, who left Leinster for Munster several months earlier.
McCall's outfit found themselves covered in less glory as the New Year beckoned, going down 22-12 to Connacht at the Sportsground, but it proved to be vital impetus in moving the Ulstermen towards their first and only Celtic League title.
From January 7 to May 26 2006, Humphreys and co did not lose a game, winning nine and drawing only once - 12-12 against Llanelli in the penultimate week of the season.
Ulster reached the Celtic League summit with a commanding 27-3 win over Munster, scoring five tries, with Tommy Bowe and Roger Wilson among those crossing, and the margin could have been much larger were it not for an unusually errant Humphreys kicking display.
Cheika and his men faltered - in what would be another near-miss before they eventually clinched a second title in 2008 - losing consecutive games on the road.
Contepomi struck the post with the game's final kick at Stradey Park in round 12 as they lost 20-18 to the Scarlets and they were then outplayed by the Dragons at Rodney Parade, losing 31-18.
Leinster's blip was temporary, but it proved critical as the season moved towards its climax. With Ulster winning against all and sundry, it came down to a straight shoot-out between the two Irish provinces on the season's final day.
Final Day:
With a second Celtic League title on the line, Brian O'Driscoll showed his perennial quality in scoring twice away to Edinburgh, while Contepomi was his usual prolific self in bagging 16 points against the capital club as Cheika's side did all they could do to clinch the crown.
And for a long time, it looked as though O'Driscoll and Contepomi had stolen the show as Ulster battled it out with Ospreys at Liberty Stadium.
A Gavin Henson try converted by Jason Spice left McCall's side trailing 17-16 as the final whistle loomed, but Humphreys was not to be denied and his drop goal bounced off both posts before going over and sending the silverware back to Ulster.
The Top Scorers:
Contepomi's remarkable season has left a sizeable impression on the record books.
Not only did he outscore Humphreys by 48 points to head the scoring charts by a considerable distance on 287, but that figure still stands as the most points scored by any player in a single Celtic League season.
The Argentinian is still Leinster's record points scorer with 877. His nine tries in 2005-6 is the most in a single Celtic League season by any Leinster player, while his 37 conversions and 57 penalties (also in 2005-6) are further province records.
Contepomi finished second behind Ulster's Bowe and Dragons' Jason Forster in the try charts, both of whom scored ten apiece.
Reivers' and Scotland wing Nikki Walker came in fourth with eight tries Chris Czekaj was in fifth place with seven tries.
Humphreys was the Argentinian's nearest competitor for overall points, followed by Cardiff Blues' Nicky Robinson with 173. Glasgow Warriors' Dan Parks and Edinburgh's Chris Paterson finished fourth and fifth respectively on 125 and 122.
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