It means that, with the two new Italian super-franchises of Benetton Treviso and Aironi Rugby joining the league for the first time, the quality and entertainment for what will be the 10th anniversary season of Celtic Rugby tournaments is set to rise even higher.
Last season saw massive crowd increases and closer finishes than ever before on the pitch.
The 2009/10 campaign also saw the highly successful introduction of a Play-Off system and Grand Final to determine the Magners League champions.
Who will topple the Ospreys in 2010/11? Take a look at some of the players who have been brought in to do just that this season.
AIRONI RUGBY
IN: Kaine Robertson (Viadana), Carlo del Fava (Viadana), Quintin Geldenhuys (Viadana), Gabriel Pizarro (Rovigo), Andrea de Marchi (Rovigo), Alberto de Marchi (Overmach Parma), Fabio Ongaro (Saracens), Matias Aguero (Saracens), Ludovic Mercier (Petrarca), Simone Favaro (Overmach Parma), Roberto Quartaroli (Overmach Parma), Nicola Cattina (Calvisano), Giovanbattista Venditti (Gran Parma Rugby), Giulio Rubini (Gran Parma Rugby), Tito Tebaldi (Gran Parma Rugby), George Biagi (Cavalieri Prato), Gareth Krause (Venezia), Riccardo Bocchino (Rugby Roma), Paolo Buso (Rugby Roma), Nick Williams (Munster), Marco Bortolami (Gloucester), Fabio Staibano (Castres Olympique), Salvatore Perugini (Bayonne), Julien Laharrague (Montauban), Danwel Demas (Cheetahs), Dylan Des Fountain (Stormers), Gabriel Pizarro (Rugby Rovigo), Giulio Rubini (Gran Parma), Paolo Buso (Rugby Roma), Luigi Milani (Viadana), Luca Redolfini (Viadana), Plinio Sciamanna (Viadana), Roberto Santamaria (Viadana), Luigi Ferraro (Viadana), Josh Furno (Viadana), Aldo Birchall (Viadana), Andrea Benatti (Viadana), Josh Sole (Viadana), Pablo Canavosio (Viadana), Riccardo Pavan (Overmach Parma), Michael Wilson (Viadana), Vickus Liebenberg (Brive)
BENETTON TREVISO
IN: Matteo Pratichetti (Viadana), Michele Sepe (Viadana), Gonzalo Padro (Petrarca), Paul Derbyshire (Petrarca), Manoa Vosawai (Overmach Parma), Francesco Minto (Overmach Parma), Edoardo Gori (Cavalieri Prato), Valerio Bernabò (Rugby Roma), Joe Maddock (Bath)
OUT: Dion Kingi (Petrarca Padova), Michele Suto (Petrarca Padova), Silvio Orlando (Marchiol Mogliano), Steven Bortolussi (Petrarca Padova), Emiliano Mulieri (Marchiol Mogliano), Fraser Waters (Retired)
CARDIFF BLUES
IN: Dan Parks (Glasgow Warriors), Michael Paterson (Hurricanes), Tom Brown (London Welsh), Bryn Griffiths (Doncaster) Tom Davies (Doncaster)
OUT: Scott Morgan (NG Dragons), Dai Flanagan (Ospreys), Darren Allinson (London Irish), Robin Sowden-Taylor (NG Dragons), Sam Norton-Knight (Sanyo Wild Knights), Andy Powell (London Wasps), Billy Millard - Backs Coach (Retired)
CONNACHT
IN: Shane Monahan (Leinster), Darragh Fanning (Leinster), Ezra Taylor (Queensland Reds)
OUT: George Naoupu (Kobe Kobelco Steelers), Michael Bradley (Head coach - Retired)
EDINBURGH
IN: Netani Talei (Worcester Warriors), Alex Grove (Worcester Warriors), Jack Gilding (Worcester Warriors), Esteban Lozada (Toulon), Dave Denton (Edinburgh Academicals), Stuart McInally, (Edinburgh University), James King (Melrose), Lee Jones (Selkirk), Alex Blair (Scotland National Academy), Fraser Brown (Watsonians), Lewis Niven (Scotland National Academy)
OUT: Steve Jones (Exeter Chiefs), Ryan Grant (Glasgow Warriors), Ali Hogg (Newcastle Falcons), Jim Hamilton (Gloucester), Dave Callam (Released), Simon Cross (Retired)
GLASGOW WARRIORS
IN: Ryan Grant (Edinburgh), Federico Martin Aramburu (Dax), Robert Harley (West of Scotland), James Fleming (Dundee HSFP), Ryan Wilson (Moseley), Aly Muldowney (Moseley), Duncan Weir (Glasgow Hawks), Alex Dunbar (Selkirk), Chris Fusaro (Heriot's FP), Henry Pyrgos (Loughborough University), Colin Shaw (Scotland 7s)
OUT: Dan Parks (Cardiff Blues), Mark McMillan (Bath), Kelly Brown (Saracens), Dan Turner (ToyotaShokki Shuttles), Tim Barker (Released), Justin Va'a (Released), Chris Kinloch (Released)
LEINSTER
IN: Ed O'Donoghue (Ulster), Isaac Boss (Ulster), Heinke van der Merwe (Golden Lions), Mariano Galarza (Universitario de La Plata), Joe Schmidt - Head Coach (Clermont Auvergne)
OUT: CJ Van Der Linde (Cheetahs), Simon Keogh (Released), Chris Keane (Released) Malcolm O'Kelly (Retired), Girvan Dempsey (Retired), Bernard Jackman (Retired), Michael Cheika (Coach - Stade Francais), Chris Whitaker (Team Manager - Stade Francais), Alan Gaffney - Backs Coach (IRFU), Kurt McQuilkin - Defence Coach (Retired), Kyle Tonetti (Sale Sharks)
MUNSTER
IN: Johne Murphy (Leicester Tigers), Sam Tuitupou (Worcester Warriors), Wian Du Preez (Cheetahs), Peter Borlase (Crusaders), Corey Hircock (Bedford)
OUT: Nick Williams (Aironi Rugby), Jeremy Manning (Newcastle Falcons), Julien Brugnaut (Racing Metro), Jean de Villiers (Stormers), Ciaran O'Boyle (Released)
NEWPORT-GWENT DRAGONS
IN: Matthew Jones (Worcester Warriors), Hugo Ellis (London Wasps), Arthur Ellis (London Wasps), Nicky Griffiths (Doncaster), Andrew Coombs (Newport), Matt Evans (Hartpury College), Scott Morgan (Cardiff Blues), Robin Sowden-Taylor (Cardiff Blues), Danny Wilson - Forwards Skills Coach (London Welsh)
OUT: Richard Fussell (Ospreys), Hoani MacDonald (Melbourne Rebels), Grant Webb (Otago), James Arlidge (Nottingham), James Harris (Released), Alex Walker (Released)
OSPREYS
IN: Dai Flanagan (Cardiff Blues), Richard Fussell (NG Dragons), Mefin Davies (Leicester Tigers), Morgan Allen (Pontypool)
OUT: Ed Shervington (Worcester Warriors), Marc Breeze (London Welsh), Liam Davies (Dax), Ross Davies (Released), Jonny Vaughton (Released), Lyndon Bateman (Retired), Filo Tiatia (Retired),
SCARLETS
IN: Joe Ajuwa (Llandovery), Gavin Quinnell (Viadana), Jonny Fa'amatuainu (Bath - loan), Robin McBryde (WRU - forwards coach)
OUT: Rob Higgitt (Worcester Warriors), Darren Daniel (Carmarthen Quins), Jamie Corsi (Released), John Muggleton (Defence Coach), (Mark Jones - coaching role at the Scarlets), Simon Easterby (coaching role at the Scarlets)
ULSTER
IN: Ruan Pienaar (Sharks), Johann Muller (Sharks), Pedrie Wannenburg (Bulls),
OUT: Ed O'Donoghue (Leinster), Isaac Boss (Leinster), Timoci Nagusa (Montpellier)
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