Celtic league rivalries

On the old 606 I normally did an artile about the rivalries starting to build up in the Celtic league.
After reading Interesting AP historical head to heads it reminded me of this.

Its rivalries that I think can make a game or League more intresting, and these take time to build up.

The Celtic League is unique as it can form two different rivalries, the inter-country ones and then with teams outside their country.

The inter-province/region/city derbies are the biggest as most of them have their history going back to before the League, but what I'm intrested in is what rivalries are building up in the League, as a little grudge does add to a game, and adds to the League overall.

Personally I think outside of Derbies, the Ospreys seam to be the ones building up the most rivalries, with the Leinster and Munster games being looked forward to.

after that I'm not so sure if there really are any others.

As an Ulster fan, I'd say we used to play Edinburgh alot but we kinda like each other and there's no grudge. I'd say this year the Scarlets could be gunning for us after we won two close games last year against them, and they'll feel a little hard done by for that, (looking forward to those games).
We have played (and are due to increase this more) Aironi more times than anyone else in their history and can't see them liking a played 8 lost 8 against us, and will be desperate for a win against us (more than they would against any other team) but it's not really a rivalery.

I love when we beat the Welsh sides, especially Scarlets and Ospreys, but I wouldn't say these rivalries are anywhere near the inter-provincial rivalries for me yet. Those interpros are the big ones.

Yeah outside the inter-pro's I especially like beating Scarlets and Ospreys, maybe we could start a grudge with Scarlets.

Kingshu wrote:Yeah outside the inter-pro's I especially like beating Scarlets and Ospreys, maybe we could start a grudge with Scarlets.

we're way too nice to have a grudge against, even the other Welsh sides love us really.

I like to think Munster have a grudge with the Ospreys mainly because we played them like 5 times last year and 3 times the season before.

I see the Scarlets matches with Munster, Leinster, Ulster and Edinburgh (but not so much recently) as almost rivalries.

With Leinster we have beaten them in the past with big scores and they have absolutely thumped us a few times. With Munster we haVe had some classic matches and for some reason we tend to end up pretty close when we play them out in Munster, but sadly usually losing out. And Ulster, as Kingshu said is almost a grudge.

has anyone ever chanted 'Are you Llanelli in disguise?' to the Scarlets?

Kingshu - No, or at least if they have chanted it I have turned a hear ear to it unintentionally. But there are a lot of pretty boys wearing pink shirts singing Pet Shop Boys there

ScarletSpiderman wrote:Kingshu - No, or at least if they have chanted it I have turned a hear ear to it unintentionally. But there are a lot of pretty boys wearing pink shirts singing Pet Shop Boys there

Are these the Dragons fans who've started singing 'stand up for the men of Gwent'?

I like it now we have a Nemesis outside Ireland in the form of Scarlets, mind you you arn't at the Arch-Nemesis Stade Francais level yet.

Dragons v Glasgow was getting a bit of a rivalry, considering we kept getting them in the Heineken and that. It got so bad, we decided to have a season in the Amlin for a break.

A nice wee holiday for you there in the Amlin. That's a good positive spin

I like the Dragons. I like when we play the Dragons. Their fans are a good sort and their team always tear into us with loads of commitment. They play some good rugby too.

It's hard to look past the interpros for me but I fecking wish we'd start beating Leinster and Munster more often, mind you those smug feckers would only make some sort of excuse for losing anyway...

Other than that I love getting one over the Ospreys for knicking Tommy Bowe and there seems to be a good rivalry with the Blues these days and with the Welsh sides in general.

It's certainly a positive like Notch. I might start using it more now.

I hope to get to Ravenhill soon enough.

roddersm wrote:It's hard to look past the interpros for me but I fecking wish we'd start beating Leinster and Munster more often, mind you those smug feckers would only make some sort of excuse for losing anyway...

Other than that I love getting one over the Ospreys for knicking Tommy Bowe and there seems to be a good rivalry with the Blues these days and with the Welsh sides in general.

I think outside of the interpros, there is a bit of rivalry with the teams at each end of the league. I hope in the next 2 years that a bit of spite comes into some of the games, the league is still new and needs a bit of bad blood to spicen it up a little bit.

I suppose the biggest rivalries will be within the countries. Beating Leinster in the Magners final last year was pretty sweet because of their status, but I don't think there was rivalry as such.

Notch wrote:A nice wee holiday for you there in the Amlin. That's a good positive spin

I like the Dragons. I like when we play the Dragons. Their fans are a good sort and their team always tear into us with loads of commitment. They play some good rugby too.

Rev, that particular rivalry seemed in part to be stoked by a Lineen-Turner thing? Will it continue in this year's Rabo?

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:

Notch wrote:A nice wee holiday for you there in the Amlin. That's a good positive spin

I like the Dragons. I like when we play the Dragons. Their fans are a good sort and their team always tear into us with loads of commitment. They play some good rugby too.

Rev, that particular rivalry seemed in part to be stoked by a Lineen-Turner thing? Will it continue in this year's Rabo?

Probably not As, fair point. Everybody likes Darren Edwards after all.

Kingshu - I guess it goes all the way back to '03 when it was the two of us for the title, and we pipped you. Then a few years later when you won it by beating us at Stradey. But we owe you for the two screw jobs this season.

I know Scarlets as Llanelli RFC and I think carrying over to Scarlets have a rivalry with Bath, but I think that a Scarlets Ulster rivalry is developing nicely, and could become more important, as league points rather than a doll are at stake.

You say you owe us for the to screw jobs last season, we say we took the points and did the double over you, and are looking to repeat it this year.

Looking forward to
Saturday, 29 October Scarlets v Ulster
Friday, 2 December 2011 Ulster v Scarlets

Hopefully this time we don't leave the games so close

Yeah hopefully we will finish you off nice a early like in the HC a few years back.

Your right the Scarlets/Bath rag doll is a bit of an ongoing thing (even though it rarely happens), but Ulster seem to be in a similar boat tot hte Scarlets. When we are going down in the pecking order so are you, when we are on the up, so are you. It was a bit like that with Edinburgh, but Ulster seem to be the ones that feel more like Derby matches, where you know you can lose even if you are better, or win even if your form is worse.

I'm not sure there are rivalries in the old Welsh club terms. The Ospreys like to beat the other Welsh sides, but rivalries only appear because 2 teams are competing against a neighbour or 2 clubs are vying for success.

There is a bit of jelousy from the Scarlets end at the Ospreys, more because we have been able to poach some of their players, so they don't like us much. Though I think the Blues and Ospreys see each other as their biggest rival because their both the large city clubs.

id say the blues dragons rivalry has retained alot of the old newport cardiff rivalry,

on a personal note (although this is prob not an indicator of general rivalry)

i love getting one over on the scarlets (even tho we are going through a very dry spell in this regard)

this is purely due to the fact that season before last when we finished above them the welsh media was full of west walians (rob jones being a prime example t%^&er!) saying we would fall away....i spose this grudge is due to the fact that we are (or were for a couple of seasons) competing with them for 4th welsh region....

Beating Leinster or Munster tops it for me.

Of course last year we got the better of every Magners side except Munster and Leinster

Welsh derbys are def my fave 'celtic' fixtures. Love beating Cardiff and the Ospreys at Dave parade. Really good fun at Christmas/New Year too...if it doesnt snow !

I've really got a grudge against Ulster following the last season - am hoping we can beat them after being robbed, problem being their really good team so it will be difficult.

Welsh derbies are always good, otherwise I suppose Leicester a bit for Scarlets as we have a little bit of history (going back to Llanelli RFC days)

Agree that Glasgow and the Dragons were developing that way, despite being from a city many times the size of Newport the clubs have similar budgets (Newport possibly more) and keep getting drawn in same groups. For a long time NGD were a bogey side although recently Glasgow might have grasped the upper hand. Obviously I support Glasgow through and through but the Dragons are by far my favourite Welsh.team. I even lived in the area for a few years in the 90s and used to take my young son to Rodney Parade. I was always seething when we lost to Cardiff, so many times we had them but then let them off the hook. Would guess the team NGD want to beat above any other is Cardiff.