| 2006 Top League Challenge Series | |
| Countries: | Japan |
| Date: | 15 – 28 January 2006 |
| Champions: | Coca-Cola West Red Sparks |
| Count: | 1 |
| Runnersup: | IBM Big Blue |
| Promoted: | Coca-Cola West Red Sparks IBM Big Blue |
| Matches: | 6 |
| Prevseason: | 2005 |
| Nextseason: | 2007 |
The 2006 Top League Challenge Series was the 2006 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 2006–07 season. The competition was contested from 15 to 28 January 2006.
Coca-Cola West Red Sparks and IBM Big Blue won promotion to the 2006–07 Top League, while Honda Heat, Kintetsu Liners, Kyuden Voltex and NTT Communications Shining Arcs 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 2006–07 Top League, while the third-placed team in Challenge 1 and the three Challenge 2 teams qualified to the promotion play-offs.
The teams qualified to the Challenge 1 and Challenge 2 series through the 2005 regional leagues.
The final standings for the 2005 Top West League were:[1]
| 2005 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 | Kintetsu Liners (R) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 448 | 106 | +342 | 7 | 0 | 35 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Honda Heat | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 470 | 83 | +387 | 6 | 1 | 31 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Toyota Industries Shuttles | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 487 | 141 | +346 | 6 | 1 | 27 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Osaka Police | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 286 | 206 | +80 | 3 | 1 | 20 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 299 | 208 | +91 | 3 | 1 | 16 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 188 | 309 | −121 | 3 | 0 | 11 | |||||||||||||
| 7 | Mitsubishi Red Evolutions | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 105 | 580 | −475 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Unitika Phoenix | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 66 | 716 | −650 | 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 East League were:[2]
| 2005 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 | IBM Big Blue (R) | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 487 | 99 | +388 | 9 | 0 | 45 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 341 | 129 | +212 | 7 | 0 | 39 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | NTT Communications Shining Arcs | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 237 | 174 | +63 | 5 | 1 | 30 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Kurita Water | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 268 | 211 | +57 | 4 | 1 | 29 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Tokyo Gas | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 280 | 243 | +37 | 5 | 0 | 29 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Yokogawa Musashino Atlastars | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 192 | 254 | −62 | 4 | 1 | 17 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Shimizu Blue Sharks | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 145 | 303 | −158 | 2 | 2 | 14 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Kamaishi Seawaves | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 161 | 296 | −135 | 1 | 0 | 11 | ||||||||||||
| 9 | JAL Wings | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 144 | 360 | −216 | 2 | 1 | 7 | ||||||||||||
| 10 | Insurance Meiji Life Yasuda | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 96 | 282 | −186 | 2 | 1 | 7 | ||||||||||||
| 2005 Top East League (North) standings | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Akita Northern Bullets | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 420 | 83 | +337 | 6 | 0 | 30 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Funaoka SDF Wild Boars | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 207 | 148 | +59 | 4 | 0 | 16 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 116 | 329 | −213 | 2 | 0 | 10 | |||||||||||||
| 4 | NTT Burns | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 130 | 313 | −183 | 2 | 1 | 7 | ||||||||||||
| 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 2005 Top Kyūshū League were:[3]
| 2005 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 | Kyuden Voltex | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 453 | 56 | +397 | 5 | 0 | 29 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Coca-Cola West Red Sparks | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 432 | 74 | +358 | 5 | 0 | 25 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Mazda Blue Zoomers | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 299 | 112 | +187 | 5 | 1 | 22 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Chugoku Electric Power | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 183 | 253 | −70 | 3 | 0 | 15 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 121 | 347 | −226 | 2 | 0 | 10 | |||||||||||||
| 6 | Mitsubishi Mizushima | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 76 | 363 | −287 | 2 | 1 | 7 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | JR Kyūshū Thunders | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 66 | 425 | −359 | 0 | 1 | 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. |
| 2005 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 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 98 | 26 | +72 | 1 | 0 | 9 | |||||||||||||
| 2 | Kyuden Voltex | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 54 | 49 | +5 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 36 | 113 | −77 | 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. |
The final standings for the 2006 Top League Challenge 1 were:[4]
| 2006 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 | Coca-Cola West Red Sparks | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 29 | +7 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 56 | 21 | +35 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | Kintetsu Liners | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 54 | −42 | 0 | 1 | 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. |
The following matches were played in the 2006 Top League Challenge 1:[4]
The final standings for the 2006 Top League Challenge 2 were:[4]
| 2006 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 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 103 | 57 | +46 | 2 | 0 | 10 | |||||||||||||
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 57 | 54 | +3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 46 | 95 | −49 | 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. |
The following matches were played in the 2006 Top League Challenge 2:[4]