Heineken Cup Italo-Celtic play-off

This play-off was scrapped, effective with the 2009–10 season, due to changes in the Heineken Cup qualification format.

Through the 2009–10 edition, the Heineken Cup was open to clubs in the Celtic League, Guinness Premiership, Super 10 (now Top12) and the Top 14.

[1] The play-off was a single match, which took place alternately in Italy or the home of the Celtic League side.

This meant that the Celtic League nominee, the Newport Gwent Dragons, qualified without a playoff.

The play-off first came about in 2004 after the dissolution of the Celtic Warriors meaning that there would be only four Welsh teams to compete for four places in the Heineken Cup.

Diagram showing how qualification was obtained for the Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup before 2009.