2008 Top League Challenge Series

Last updated
2008 Top League Challenge Series
Countries Japan
Date 27 January – 10 February 2008
Champions Kintetsu Liners (1st title)
Runners-up Yokogawa Musashino Atlastars
Promoted Kintetsu Liners
Yokogawa Musashino Atlastars
Matches played 6
←  2007
2009  →

The 2008 Top League Challenge Series was the 2008 edition of the Top League Challenge Series, a second-tier rugby union competition in Japan, in which teams from regionalised leagues competed for promotion to the Top League for the 2008–09 season. The competition was contested from 27 January to 10 February 2008.

Japan Constitutional monarchy in East Asia

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the eastern coast of the Asian continent and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea in the south.

Top League

The Top League is a rugby union competition in Japan. It is the highest level of rugby competition in the country. The Japan Rugby Football Union created the competition in 2003, by absorbing the Japan Company Rugby Football Championship, to drive up the overall standard and popularity of the sport and improve the results of the Japan national rugby union team. The chief architect of the league was Hiroaki Shukuzawa who strongly felt the urgency of improving Japanese domestic company rugby to a professional level which would allow Japan to compete more convincingly at Rugby World Cups.

2008–09 Top League

The 2008–09 Top League was the sixth season of Japan's domestic rugby union competition, the Top League. The Toshiba Brave Lupus defeated Sanyo Wild Knights by 17–6 in the final of the Microsoft Cup to claim the 2008–09 Top League championship.

Contents

Kintetsu Liners and Yokogawa Musashino Atlastars won promotion to the 2008–09 Top League, while Mazda Blue Zoomers and World Fighting Bull progressed to the promotion play-offs.

Kintetsu Liners rugby team are a Japanese rugby union team owned by Kintetsu Corporation which was founded in 1929. They have won the All-Japan Championship three times as an amateur team. Their home is at Hanazono Rugby Stadium in Higashiosaka, Japan, which was also opened in 1929.

Yokogawa Musashino Atlastars is a Japanese rugby union team based in Musashino, Tokyo. They won promotion to the Top League for one season in 2008–09 being relegated that same season.

Mazda Blue Zoomers is a Japanese rugby union team who compete in Japan's Top League Challenge series for promotion to the Top League. They are owned by car manufacturers Mazda based in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan.

Competition rules and information

The top two teams from the regional Top East League, Top West League and Top Kyūshū League qualified to the Top League Challenge Series. The regional league winners participated in Challenge 1, while the runners-up participated in Challenge 2.

The top two teams in Challenge 1 won automatic promotion to the 2008–09 Top League, while the third-placed team in Challenge 1 and the Challenge 2 winner qualified to the promotion play-offs.

Qualification

The teams qualified to the Challenge 1 and Challenge 2 series through the 2007 regional leagues.

Top West League

The final standings for the 2007 Top West League were: [1]

2007 Top West League First Phase standings
Pos Team P W D L PF PA PD TB LB Pts
1 World Fighting Bull (R) 6 6 0 0 251 82 +169 5 0 29
2 Honda Heat 6 4 1 1 323 93 +230 5 1 24
3 Kintetsu Liners 6 4 0 2 219 170 +112 3 1 20
4 Toyota Industries Shuttles 6 3 1 2 222 118 +104 3 0 17
5 NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes 6 2 0 4 145 217 −72 2 0 10
6 Osaka Police 6 1 0 5 67 288 −221 1 0 5
7 Chubu Electric Power 6 0 0 6 67 389 −322 1 0 1
Legend:
P = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, PD = Points Difference, TB = Try Bonus Points, LB = Losing Bonus Points, Pts = Log Points.
(R) indicates a team newly relegated from the Top League.
2007 Top West League Second Phase standings
Pos Team P W D L PF PA PD TB LB Pts
1 Kintetsu Liners 2 2 0 0 65 32 +33 1 0 9
2 World Fighting Bull (R) 2 1 0 1 44 37 +7 1 1 6
3 Honda Heat 2 0 0 2 26 66 −40 0 0 0
Legend:
P = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, PD = Points Difference, TB = Try Bonus Points, LB = Losing Bonus Points, Pts = Log Points.
(R) indicates a team newly relegated from the Top League.

Top East League

The final standings for the 2007 Top East League were: [2]

2007 Top East League standings
Pos Team P W D L PF PA PD TB LB Pts
1 Yokogawa Musashino Atlastars 10 10 0 0 466 85 +381 9 0 49
2 Secom Rugguts (R) 10 9 0 1 458 112 +346 7 0 43
3 NTT Communications Shining Arcs 10 8 0 2 444 113 +331 8 1 41
4 Suntory Foods 10 7 0 3 254 199 +55 7 0 35
5 Tokyo Gas 10 5 0 5 272 259 +13 5 0 25
6 Kamaishi Seawaves 10 4 0 6 250 229 +21 5 1 22
7 Kurita Water 10 4 0 6 233 328 −95 4 1 21
8 Akita Northern Bullets 10 3 0 7 159 437 −278 1 1 14
9 JAL Wings 10 2 0 8 123 291 −168 1 3 12
10 Insurance Meiji Life Yasuda 10 1 1 8 121 415 −294 1 0 7
11 Shimizu Blue Sharks 10 1 1 8 118 430 −312 0 0 6
Legend:
P = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, PD = Points Difference, TB = Try Bonus Points, LB = Losing Bonus Points, Pts = Log Points.
(R) indicates a team newly relegated from the Top League.

The following match was played:

Top Kyūshū League

The final standings for the 2007 Top Kyūshū League were: [3]

2007 Top Kyūshū League First Phase standings
Pos Team P W D L PF PA PD TB LB Pts
1 Mazda Blue Zoomers 5 5 0 0 268 29 +239 5 0 25
2 Chugoku Electric Power 5 3 0 2 145 118 +27 3 1 16
3 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 5 3 0 2 142 98 +44 2 1 15
4 JR Kyūshū Thunders 5 2 0 3 97 183 −86 0 1 9
5 Toshiba Oita (P) 5 1 0 4 78 151 −73 1 2 7
6 Mitsubishi Mizushima 5 1 0 4 69 220 −151 0 1 5
Legend:
P = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, PD = Points Difference, TB = Try Bonus Points, LB = Losing Bonus Points, Pts = Log Points.
(P) indicates a team newly promoted from lower leagues.
2007 Top Kyūshū League Second Phase standings
Pos Team P W D L PF PA PD TB LB Pts
1 Mazda Blue Zoomers 2 2 0 0 62 22 +40 2 0 10
2 Chugoku Electric Power 2 1 0 1 49 46 +3 1 0 5
3 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 2 0 0 2 25 68 −43 0 0 0
Legend:
P = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, PD = Points Difference, TB = Try Bonus Points, LB = Losing Bonus Points, Pts = Log Points.

Challenge 1

Standings

The final standings for the 2008 Top League Challenge 1 were: [4]

2008 Top League Challenge 1 standings
Pos Team P W D L PF PA PD TB LB Pts
1 Kintetsu Liners 2 2 0 0 77 25 +52 1 0 9
2 Yokogawa Musashino Atlastars 2 1 0 1 62 23 +39 1 0 5
3 Mazda Blue Zoomers 2 0 0 2 13 104 −91 0 0 0
Legend:
P = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, PD = Points Difference, TB = Try Bonus Points, LB = Losing Bonus Points, Pts = Log Points.

Matches

The following matches were played in the 2008 Top League Challenge 1: [4]

Challenge 2

Standings

The final standings for the 2008 Top League Challenge 2 were: [4]

2008 Top League Challenge 2 standings
Pos Team P W D L PF PA PD TB LB Pts
1 World Fighting Bull 2 2 0 0 122 3 +119 1 0 9
2 Secom Rugguts 2 1 0 1 83 15 +68 1 1 6
3 Chugoku Electric Power 2 0 0 2 5 192 −187 0 0 0
Legend:
P = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, PD = Points Difference, TB = Try Bonus Points, LB = Losing Bonus Points, Pts = Log Points.

Matches

The following matches were played in the 2008 Top League Challenge 2: [4]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "West Regional Top League 2007/08". The Rugby Archive. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  2. ↑ "East Regional Top League 2007/08". The Rugby Archive. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  3. ↑ "Kyushu Regional Top League 2007/08". The Rugby Archive. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Top League Challenge 2007/08". The Rugby Archive. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
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