Rabobank Confirmed as New Title Sponsor of Rugby’s Celtic League

It was announced today that financial institution Rabobank has taken over the sponsorship of the Celtic League from Magners after the drinks company announced an end to it’s association with the league in April.

Magners had sponsored rugby’s Celtic League, made up of four Welsh, four Irish, two Scottish and two Italian sides, since 2006, but the competition will now be known as the RaboDirect PRO12.

Rabobank has agreed a four-year deal for the league to carry the name of its online banking arm.

Welsh teams Cardiff Blues, Scarlets, Ospreys and Newport Gwent Dragons, Ireland’s Munster – the newly crowned champions – plus Leinster, Ulster and Connacht, Scotland’s Glasgow and Edinburgh and Italian duo Treviso and Aironi make up the tournament.

Originally, the league had comprised teams from the Celtic nations before Treviso and Aironi joined the tournament ahead of the start of the last campaign.

The competition’s chief executive, John Feehan, said the sponsorship agreement with the international business would raise the profile of the tournament and “enhance the investment in the competition.”