The 2014–15 Pro12 (also known as the ''Guinness Pro12'' for sponsorship reasons) was the 14th season of the professional

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

competition originally known as the

Celtic League The Celtic League is a pan-Celtic organisation, founded in 1961, that aims to promote modern Celtic identity and culture in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall and the Isle of Man – referred to as the Celtic nations; it places part ...

, and the fifth with its current four-country format. It was the first season to be referred to as the ''Pro12'' to not have

RaboDirect Rabobank (; full name: ''Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A.'') is a Dutch multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Utrecht, Netherlands. The group comprises 89 local Dutch Rabobanks (2019), a central organisation (Raboba ...

as the title sponsor, having been replaced by Guinness.

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of ...

were the defending champions having beaten

Glasgow Warriors Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and became t ...

in the previous season's playoff final, to become the first team in the league to successfully retain the trophy. Leinster were unable to defend their title as they failed to qualify for the end-of-season playoffs for the top four teams after the regular season. Glasgow Warriors finished the regular season on top of the table, and were crowned champions for the first time, beating second seeded team Munster 31–13 in the final. Thus, the Warriors became the first Scottish team to win a professional trophy, beating

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

's appearance in the final of the 2014–15 European Rugby Challenge Cup. The twelve competing teams were the four Irish teams,

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Del ...

, Leinster, Munster and

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

; two Italian teams, Benetton Treviso and

Zebre Zebre Parma (, meaning "Zebras") are an Italian professional rugby union team competing in the United Rugby Championship and EPCR competitions from the 2012–13 season. They are based in Parma (Emilia-Romagna), Italy. They are operated by the ...

; two Scottish teams, Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors and four Welsh teams, Cardiff Blues, Newport Gwent Dragons, Ospreys and

Scarlets The Scarlets () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams and are based in Llanelli, Wales. Their home ground is the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup (which ...

. The Guinness PRO12 Trophy is a 60 cm tall piece handmade made by silversmith

Thomas Lyte Thomas Lyte is an English luxury brand specialising in gold and silverware, sporting trophies and leather accessories. The company has designed, made or restored many well known trophies and medals, such as the football’s FA Cup, golf’s Ryder ...

from 8.3 kg of sterling silver, with league branding highlighted in gold plate.

Changes for the season

All countries

With the Heineken Cup being replaced by the 20-team European Rugby Champions Cup in the 2014–15 season, the Pro12 table had a greater impact on qualification. Though the qualification was decided by the league table in the 2013–14 season, teams were not aware this would be the case until April 2014. Under the previous format, the Pro12 provided a minimum of ten teams, with Scotland and Italy providing two teams each, and Ireland and Wales both providing three. The new system saw one place now being reserved for the highest finishing Pro12 team from each of four participating countries and three other qualifiers based solely on league position, for a total of seven teams. The other teams were entered in the new second-tier competition, the

European Rugby Challenge Cup The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception ...

. Starting in the 2015–16 competition, the 20th tournament spot will be decided by a playoff involving the Pro12's highest-finishing team that has not already qualified, the seventh highest finishing club from France's

Top 14 The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the French National Rugby League, also known by its French initialism o ...

and the seventh highest finishing club from the

English Premiership The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

. The play-off was initially planned to involve two Pro12 teams, but that plan was scrapped due to fixture clashes with the Top 14.

Ireland

entered the season with a new captain following the forced retirement of Craig Clarke due to persistent concussions. John Muldoon was confirmed as the new captain in August 2014. They were also without the playing services of former captain and centurion Gavin Duffy, whose contract was not renewed the previous season. It was later announced that he had taken up a role with the province's commercial team.

came into the competition without the services of long serving player

Brian O'Driscoll Brian Gerard O'Driscoll (born 21 January 1979) is an Irish former professional rugby union player. He played at outside centre for the Irish provincial team Leinster and for Ireland. He captained Ireland from 2003 until 2012, and captained the ...

, who retired at the end of the 2013–14 season, for the first time. O'Driscoll had played in every previous season of the league. They were also without last year's captain Leo Cullen on the playing field, as he also retired, taking up the role of forwards coach. Irish international

Jamie Heaslip James Peter Richard Heaslip (born 15 December 1983) is an Irish rugby union former player who played for Leinster and Ireland. He played as a number 8. Heaslip earned 95 caps for Ireland during his international career from 2006 to 2017, makin ...

was announced as the side's new captain in August 2014, with

Rob Kearney Robert Kearney (born 26 March 1986) is an Irish rugby union former player. He played for 15 years for Leinster followed by a 6 month stint in Australia, playing for Perth based side Western Force. He also played over a decade for the Ireland n ...

and Seán O'Brien serving as his vice-captains. Following the departure of last year's head coach Rob Penney, who took up a role with the Japanese side

NTT Communications Shining Arcs Urayasu D-Rocks, commonly known as the D-Rocks, or the Shining Arcs, is a rugby union team owned by NTT Communications and is part of Japan's Rugby League One competition, currently in Division 2. Given the name, the team is based in Urayasu Ci ...

, Munster were coached by former player and previous season's forwards coach Anthony Foley. Foley was joined in the coaching staff by his fellow former Munster players Mick O'Driscoll and

Jerry Flannery Jeremiah Paul Flannery (born 17 October 1978) is a former Irish rugby union player and current coach. During his playing career, Flannery, a hooker, played for Munster and Ireland, before being forced to retire in March 2012 due to injury pro ...

, as well as

Cork Constitution The Cork Constitution (CC) is a rugby union club based in Cork, playing in Division 1A of the All-Ireland League. It was founded by staff of the ''Cork Constitution'' newspaper. Since the paper did not publish on Sundays, the staff were lookin ...

head coach Brian Walsh.

entered the season with their home stadium, the

Kingspan Stadium Kingspan Group plc is a building materials company based in Ireland trading in over 70 countries with 159 factories employing over 15,000 people. The company operates with five divisions; Insulated Panels, Insulation, Light & Air, Water & Energy, ...

redeveloped, with the stadium's capacity having been increased to 18,196. In June 2014, David Humphreys left his post as the province's Director of Rugby, joining

side

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

. Later that month, it was announced that head coach Mark Anscombe would also leave the province "with immediate effect". assistant coach

Les Kiss Les Kiss (born 9 December 1964) is an Australian professional rugby union coach who is the head coach of London Irish in the Gallagher Premiership. He is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the Brisbane Rugby League and ...

filled the role of Director of Rugby on an interim basis. In October 2014, Kiss returned to his position with the Ireland team, with Neil Doak taking the role of head coach. It was announced that Kiss would return to his role with Ulster on a full-time basis following the 2015 World Cup. In addition to the changes in the coaching staff, Ulster entered the season with

Rory Best Rory David Best (born 15 August 1982) is an Irish former rugby union player from Northern Ireland and was the captain of the Ireland national team from 2016 to 2019. He played hooker for Ulster and was registered for Banbridge RFC, having pr ...

reinstated as captain, following the retirement of Johann Muller at the end of the previous season.

Italy

Despite threats during the previous season that the team would be pulled out of the competition, Benetton Treviso returned for their fifth season in the league. Following the resignation of Franco Smith during the course of the previous season, Umberto Casellato took over as the side's head coach. Casellato joined the side from

where he had served as assistant coach.

Scotland

Ahead of the 2014–15 season,

lost a number of experienced players, including

Geoff Cross Geoffrey Dominic Sebastian Cross (born 11 December 1982) is a Scottish former rugby union player. He played as a tight-head prop for the Border Reivers, Edinburgh and London Irish. He won 40 caps for Scotland between 2009 and 2014. He is also a ...

Nick De Luca Nick De Luca (born 1 February 1984 in Dumfries, south west Scotland) is a retired, former Scottish international professional rugby union player. Early years De Luca was born in Dumfries and grew up in Lockerbie. Club rugby De Luca's positio ...

Greig Laidlaw Greig Laidlaw (born 12 October 1985) is a Scottish professional rugby union player. He plays as a scrum-half and as a fly-half for Shining Arcs. Laidlaw holds the record for most caps as captain, 39, of the Scottish national team. He also rep ...

and Ross Rennie. The departure of Laidlaw meant Edinburgh came into the competition with a new captain, and in September 2014,

Mike Coman Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...

was named as skipper. Edinburgh's home ground of

Murrayfield Murrayfield is an affluent area to the west of Edinburgh city centre in Scotland. It is to the east of Corstorphine and north of Balgreen and Roseburn. The A8 road runs east–west through the south of the area. Murrayfield is often con ...

was resurfaced by the time the new season began, following an infestation of nematodes, a type of parasitic worm. In addition to being resurfaced, Murrayfield was renamed under a naming rights agreement with the

BT Group BT Group plc ( trading as BT and formerly British Telecom) is a British multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered in London, England. It has operations in around 180 countries and is the largest provider of fixed-line, bro ...

. The deal saw the ground referred to as 'BT Murrayfield Stadium'.

Wales

Beginning in 2014–15, the

became the main sponsor on the shirts of three of the four Welsh teams, sponsoring Newport Gwent Dragons, Ospreys and

, while Cardiff Blues had their home stadium of

Cardiff Arms Park Cardiff Arms Park ( cy, Parc yr Arfau Caerdydd), also known as The Arms Park, is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. It is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green. The Arms Park was host to the British ...

renamed under a deal with the group, which saw it referred to officially as 'BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park'. Cardiff Blues entered the season under new leadership, with

Mark Hammett Mark Garry 'Hammer' Hammett (born 13 July 1972) is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player. Having represented Canterbury provincially 76 times, and the Crusaders 81 times and the All Blacks 30 times – including 29 Test matches, Hamme ...

coming in as director of rugby. Dale McIntosh and Paul John stay on as coaches under him. Hammett joined from

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Super Rugby franchise, the

Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

. The Blues were without

Leigh Halfpenny Stephen Leigh Halfpenny (born 22 December 1988) is a Welsh rugby union player who plays as a fullback or wing for the Scarlets, Wales and the British & Irish Lions. Halfpenny is the third highest points scorer for Wales after Neil Jenkins and ...

, whose departure to

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

was announced in January 2014. captain Sam Warburton continued playing with the side as the first centrally contracted player in Wales, having signed a deal with the Welsh Rugby Union in January 2014. It was also announced that, following his recovery from

testicular cancer Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system. Symptoms may include a lump in the testicle, or swelling or pain in the scrotum. Treatment may result in infertility. Risk factors include an ...

Matthew Rees Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497 * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the ...

would continue to serve as the team's captain. Newport Gwent Dragons entered the season with a new captain. Former

Lions The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult ...

player

Lee Byrne Lee Byrne (born 1 June 1980) is a Welsh former professional rugby union and rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. Club career Byrne started his career playing rugby union for Bridgend Athletic RFC; and Tondu RFC, as a ful ...

took over from Andrew Coombs on his return from Clermont Auvergne and the

. He previously played for rival regions Scarlets and Ospreys. Like most regions, Ospreys entered the season having lost experienced international players. Ian Evans and

Richard Hibbard Richard Hibbard (born 13 December 1983) is a Wales international rugby player currently playing for the Dragons. Hibbard was born in Neath, Wales. He’s married with 3 children. A hooker, he started playing rugby at age grade levels at clubs ...

were among the players to have departed, with the pair joining

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

and

respectively. The team also lost experienced player Adam Jones. Jones, who had played in every season for the region since its foundation, stayed within Welsh rugby with a move to Cardiff Blues. Scarlets entered the season with a new head coach, following

Simon Easterby Simon Easterby (born 21 July 1975 in Harrogate, North Yorkshire) is an Irish former rugby union player. He is currently the defence coach for the Irish national team. Early life Easterby's father is English and his mother Irish. He is the you ...

's exit. Easterby left the side to become forwards coach to , working under Joe Schmidt. His replacement was

Wayne Pivac Wayne Pivac (born 1962) is a New Zealand rugby union coach. In November 2019 he replaced Warren Gatland as the Wales national team coach. A former sworn officer in the New Zealand Police, he was a constable at the Takapuna police station on A ...

, with Pivac joining the region from ITM Cup side

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

. Scarlets were also without the services of one of the previous season's joint captains Jonathan Davies, who departed to join French side Clermont Auvergne. The side was captained by Welsh international Ken Owens, with Scott Williams serving as his deputy in the role.

Preseason friendlies

Teams

Table

Fixtures

All times are local.

Round 1

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Round 2

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Round 3

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Round 4

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Round 5

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Round 6

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Round 7

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Round 8

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Round 9

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Round 10

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Round 11

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1872 Cup 1st round

Round 12

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1872 Cup 2nd round

Round 13

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Round 14

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Round 15

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Round 16

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Round 17

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Round 18

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Round 19

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Round 20

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Judgement Day

---- Notes: * The 52,762 crowd for the 2 matches, was a Judgment Day and Pro 12 match record.

Round 21

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Round 22

---- ---- ---- ---- ----

Play-offs

Semi-finals

----

Final

Leading scorers

Note: Flags to the left of player names indicate national team as has been defined under

World Rugby World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international rug ...

eligibility rules, or primary nationality for players who have not yet earned international senior caps. Players may hold one or more non-WR nationalities.

Top points scorers

Top try scorers

End-of-season awards

PRO12 Awards 2014/15 awards: 2014/2015 Dream Team

Notes

References

External links

*
2014–15 Pro12 at ESPN
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pro12 2014-15 2014–15 in Irish rugby union 2014–15 in Italian rugby union 2014–15 in Scottish rugby union 2014–15 in Welsh rugby union