Champs face off in season curtain-raiser

THE next rugby season is set to kick-off with a game between the Celtic League and Zurich Premiership champions.

Bath or Wasps are favourites to win the English league, with Ulster, Scarlets and the Dragons battling for the Celtic League title.

“We are in talks about the game and hopefully we will agree terms,” said Celtic Rugby tournament director Keith Grainger.

“We would put it on before the start of next season, either the last weekend in August or the second last weekend.”

In the meantime, the Celtic League Association has confirmed that the 22-game league will remain for the next two seasons.

The CLA board also decided to re-model the format of the Celtic Cup and has introduced a play-off structure to the tournament.

The Celtic Cup will be played for on a sudden death basis between the top eight Celtic League finishers at the end of the league season. The 2004/2005 Celtic League will start on either the last weekend in August or the first weekend in September and will finish at the end of April 2005.

The Celtic Cup will take place in May, with the quarter-finals and semi-finals being played before the Heineken Cup final on May 21/22. The Celtic Cup final will be played on May 28/29.