Magners League : Stats : Competition Structure

For the first time this season the winners of the Magners League will be decided by a play-off.

The tournament will consist of an 18 weekend league stage, when all ten teams will play each other on a home and away basis, with the top four teams at the end of the season qualifying for a play-off semi-final and final.

The champions of the 2009/10 Magners League will be the winners of the final. The tournament will run from the first weekend in September with the final the last weekend in May 2010.

There will be no League matches on the RBS Six Nations weekends, with a previous break coinciding with the timing of the Autumn internationals.

Ronan O'Gara will be hoping to come off the replacements bench against Wales at Croke Park this weekend to join the exclusive Championship '50 Cap' club.

Cardiff Blues lock Bradley Davies has spoken openly of how he dealt with the death of his mother in the run up to Wales' Six Nations clash with France.

Wales stand-in skipper Martyn Williams has hailed Test centurion-in-waiting Brian O'Driscoll as the 'greatest' player of his generation ahead of Saturday's Six Nations clash in Dublin.