 The success of the joint venture between the SRU and the WRU eventually brought the Irish Rugby Football Union on board and a Celtic League was set-up in 2001 with Scottish, Irish and Welsh sides.It ran in parallel with the Welsh-Scottish League for its first season, but fixture congestion prompted the ending of the Welsh-Scottish competition in favour of the expanded tournament.A brief cup competition, the Celtic Cup was also tried, but again this ended due to fixture congestion.