Celtic Challenge
| Current season, competition or edition: 2025–26 Celtic Challenge | |
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2023 |
| First season | 2023 |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Country | Ireland Wales Scotland |
| Most recent champions | Wolfhounds (2nd title) (2024–25) |
| Most titles | Wolfhounds (2 titles) |
| Official website | https://celticrugbycomp.com/ |
The Celtic Challenge is an annual cross-border women's rugby union, launched in 2023. Designed to develop players for the Celtic nations of Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the inaugural pilot edition featured a double round robin between three teams, one from each participating union. From 2024 the competition will involve six teams, two from each participating union.[1][2] Beginning with the 2024–25 season, the competition will maintain its six-team setup, transitioning into a full home-and-away round-robin format. The winners will be determined by standings at the end of the season.[3]
The three participating unions fund the competition, with further development funding from World Rugby.
Teams
Current teams
| Team | Established | Location[a] | Seasons | Titles (last) | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brython Thunder | 2023 | Llanelli[4] & West Wales | 2 | – (N/A) | – (N/A) |
| Clovers | 2023 | Munster & Connacht[5] | 2 | – (N/A) | 1 (2024–25) |
| Edinburgh Rugby | 2023 | Edinburgh[6] | 2 | – (N/A) | 1 (2023–24) |
| Glasgow Warriors | 2023 | Glasgow[7] | 2 | – (N/A) | – (N/A) |
| Gwalia Lightning | 2023 | Cardiff[8] & South Wales | 2 | – (N/A) | – (N/A) |
| Wolfhounds | 2023 | Leinster & Ulster[9] | 2 | 2 (2023–24, 2024–25) | – (N/A) |
Previous teams
Nine clubs have been involved in the league since its inception in the 2023 season. Below, all former clubs are listed along with the number of full seasons they've competed in.
| Team | Area | Established | Disbanded | Seasons | Titles | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combined Provinces XV | Ireland | 2023 | 2023 | 1 | 1 (2023) | – (N/A) |
| The Thistles | Scotland | 2023 | 2023 | 1 | – (N/A) | 1 (2023) |
| Wales Development XV | Wales | 2023 | 2023 | 1 | – (N/A) | – (N/A) |
Champions
The winners and runners up of each edition are listed below:
| Season | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Combined Provinces XV | The Thistles |
| 2023–24 | Wolfhounds | Edinburgh Rugby |
| 2024–25 | Wolfhounds | Clovers |
| 2025–26 |
Summary of winners
| # | Team | Champions | Years as champions | Runners-up | Years as runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wolfhounds | 2 | 2023–24, 2024–25 | 0 | |
| 2 | Combined Provinces XV | 1 | 2023 | 0 | — |
History
2023 competition
The first edition consisted of six matches in a double round robin:[10][11]
The competition involved 3 teams:
- 1 team from Ireland, the Combined Provinces XV.
- 1 team from Wales, the Wales Development XV.
- 1 team from Scotland, the Thistles.
2023–24 competition
In November 2023 it was announced that for the second season, the competition would expand to six teams and twenty one matches.[12]
In December it was announced that the 2023–24 competition will run from December to March 2024 and will be contested by six teams:
- 2 teams from Ireland, the Clovers and the Wolfhounds.[13]
- 2 teams from Wales, Brython Thunder and Gwalia Lightning.[14]
- 2 teams from Scotland, Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors[15]
The teams will play each other once, either home or away, across five rounds before play-offs to decide a champion in March 2024.[16]
2024-25 competition
The six teams from the 2023–24 season returned for the 2024–25 season. The competition was expanded into a full double round-robin, in effect creating a Women's Celtic League competition. As a result, the end-of-season play-off was removed and standings will be decided by table standings at the end of the season. Each team will play 5 home matches and five away matches.
2025-26 competition
The six teams from the second and third Celtic Challenge seasons returned for the 2025–26 season. The format was tweaked for the fourth consecutive season; the competition remained expanded into a full double round-robin, but an end-of-season play-off segment was reintroduced for the top four teams in the ladder, with the top two teams taking home advantage into the semi-finals and the final held in a predetermined venue. Each team will play 5 home matches and five away matches in the league stage, while those qualified for the playoffs will play either 1 or 2 further matches. With twelve matchdays, the season is the longest Celtic Challenge to date.
Notes
- ^ Team base location
References
- ^ Barnes, David (21 December 2022). "Celtic Challenge to provide high-performance opportunities ahead of TikTok Six Nations". The Offside Line. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ Reid, Alasdair (20 November 2023). "Young 'Thistles' set for new women's rugby challenge as Celtic Challenge announced". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ "Edinburgh & Glasgow return for expanded Celtic Challenge". BBC Sport. 1 May 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ "Brython Thunder". Celtic Challenge. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
- ^ "Clovers". Celtic Challenge. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
- ^ "Edinburgh Rugby". Celtic Challenge. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
- ^ "Glasgow Warriors". Celtic Challenge. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
- ^ "Gwalia Lightning". Celtic Challenge. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
- ^ "Wolfhounds". Celtic Challenge. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
- ^ "Celtic Challenge – Rugby". Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ "Celtic Challenge kicks off this weekend". ScrumQueens.com. 18 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Celtic Challenge to expand in second year". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ "Fixtures and Team Names for Celtic Challenge Announced". Irish Rugby. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "Two new teams to represent Wales in expanded Celtic Challenge". Welsh Rugby Union. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "Celtic Challenge competition format confirmed alongside alignment of Scottish sides to Edinburgh Rugby & Glasgow Warriors". Scottish Rugby. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "Thunder and Lightning set for Celtic Challenge". BBC Sport. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.