| 2005 Top League Challenge Series | |
| Countries: | Japan |
| Date: | 16 – 29 January 2005 |
| Champions: | Fukuoka Sanix Bombs |
| Count: | 1 |
| Runnersup: | Secom Rugguts |
| Promoted: | Fukuoka Sanix Bombs Secom Rugguts |
| Matches: | 6 |
| Prevseason: | 2004 |
| Nextseason: | 2006 |
The 2005 Top League Challenge Series was the 2005 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 2005–06 season. The competition was contested from 16 to 29 January 2005.
Fukuoka Sanix Bombs and Secom Rugguts won promotion to the 2005–06 Top League, while Honda Heat and Toyota Industries Shuttles progressed to the promotion play-offs.
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 2005–06 Top League, while the third-placed team in Challenge 1 and the Challenge 2 winner qualified to the promotion play-offs.
The teams qualified to the Challenge 1 and Challenge 2 series through the 2004 regional leagues.
The final standings for the 2004 Top West League were:[1]
| 2004 Top West League standings | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts< | -- Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts--> |
| 1 | Toyota Industries Shuttles | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 486 | 62 | +424 | 6 | 0 | 32 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Honda Heat | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 438 | 155 | +283 | 5 | 0 | 29 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 331 | 150 | +181 | 4 | 1 | 25 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Osaka Police | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 259 | 126 | +133 | 3 | 1 | 22 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | JR West Railers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 222 | 333 | −111 | 3 | 0 | 15 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 143 | 265 | −122 | 3 | 0 | 11 | |||||||||||||
| 7 | Mitsubishi Red Evolutions | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 128 | 430 | −302 | 3 | 1 | 8 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Unitika Phoenix (P) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 94 | 580 | −486 | 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. (P) indicates a team newly promoted from lower leagues. |
The final standings for the 2004 Top East League were:[2]
| 2004 Top East League (East) standings | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts< | -- Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts--> |
| 1 | Secom Rugguts (R) | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 483 | 149 | +334 | 9 | 0 | 45 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 420 | 138 | +282 | 8 | 0 | 40 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | NTT Communications Shining Arcs | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 278 | 192 | +86 | 7 | 0 | 31 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 294 | 255 | +39 | 6 | 2 | 28 | |||||||||||||
| 5 | Kamaishi Seawaves | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 282 | 294 | −12 | 6 | 0 | 24 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 283 | 269 | +14 | 5 | 2 | 23 | |||||||||||||
| 7 | Shimizu Blue Sharks | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 178 | 320 | −142 | 2 | 0 | 16 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 180 | 361 | −181 | 3 | 0 | 13 | |||||||||||||
| 9 | JAL Wings | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 158 | 340 | −182 | 2 | 0 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 151 | 389 | −238 | 2 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||||||
| 2004 Top East League (North) standings | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Akita Northern Bullets | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 391 | 104 | +287 | 5 | 0 | 25 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | NTT Burns | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 373 | 92 | +281 | 5 | 1 | 25 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Funaoka SDF Wild Boars | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 165 | 185 | −20 | 2 | 0 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 24 | 572 | −548 | 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. |
The following matches were played:
The final standings for the 2004 Top Kyūshū League were:[3]
| 2004 Top Kyūshū League First Phase standings | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts< | -- Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts--> |
| 1 | Fukuoka Sanix Bombs (R) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 648 | 79 | +569 | 7 | 0 | 35 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Coca-Cola West Red Sparks | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 423 | 106 | +317 | 6 | 1 | 31 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Kyuden Voltex | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 467 | 85 | +382 | 6 | 1 | 27 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Mazda Blue Zoomers | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 325 | 216 | +109 | 5 | 0 | 21 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Chugoku Electric Power | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 206 | 378 | −172 | 4 | 0 | 16 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | JR Kyūshū Thunders | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 101 | 487 | −386 | 2 | 0 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 65 | 471 | −406 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |||||||||||||
| 8 | Mitsubishi Mizushima | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 52 | 465 | −413 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 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. |
| 2004 Top Kyūshū League Second Phase standings | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts< | -- Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts--> |
| 1 | Fukuoka Sanix Bombs (R) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 83 | 41 | +42 | 2 | 0 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 61 | 61 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | Kyuden Voltex | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 37 | 79 | −42 | 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. |
The final standings for the 2005 Top League Challenge 1 were:[4]
| 2005 Top League Challenge 1 standings | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts< | -- Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts--> |
| 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 36 | +39 | 2 | 0 | 10 | |||||||||||||
| 2 | Secom Rugguts | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 51 | −27 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 53 | 65 | −12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 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. |
The following matches were played in the 2005 Top League Challenge 1:[4]
The final standings for the 2005 Top League Challenge 2 were:[4]
| 2005 Top League Challenge 2 standings | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts< | -- Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts--> |
| 1 | Honda Heat | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 59 | 69 | −10 | 2 | 0 | 6 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 77 | 42 | +35 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 68 | 93 | −25 | 1 | 0 | 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. |
The following matches were played in the 2005 Top League Challenge 2:[4]