| 2007 Top League Challenge Series | |
| Countries: | Japan |
| Date: | 14 – 27 January 2007 |
| Champions: | Kyuden Voltex |
| Count: | 1 |
| Runnersup: | Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars |
| Promoted: | Kyuden Voltex Mitsubishi Dynaboars |
| Matches: | 6 |
| Prevseason: | 2006 |
| Nextseason: | 2008 |
The 2007 Top League Challenge Series was the 2007 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 2007–08 season. The competition was contested from 14 to 27 January 2007.
Kyuden Voltex and Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars won promotion to the 2007–08 Top League, while Honda Heat and Kintetsu Liners 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 2007–08 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 2006 regional leagues.
The final standings for the 2006 Top West League were:[1]
| 2006 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 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 676 | 81 | +595 | 8 | 0 | 40 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Honda Heat | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 583 | 96 | +487 | 6 | 0 | 34 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Toyota Industries Shuttles | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 553 | 127 | +426 | 6 | 0 | 30 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 488 | 154 | +334 | 6 | 2 | 28 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Osaka Police | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 285 | 206 | +79 | 4 | 0 | 20 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 225 | 360 | −135 | 4 | 0 | 16 | |||||||||||||
| 7 | Mitsubishi Red Evolutions | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 145 | 522 | −377 | 2 | 1 | 11 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Unitika Phoenix | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 83 | 607 | −524 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||||||||||||
| 9 | Zentsuji SDF RFC (P) | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 12 | 897 | −885 | 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. (P) indicates a team newly promoted from lower leagues. |
The final standings for the 2006 Top East League were:[2]
| 2006 Top East 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 | Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 537 | 114 | +423 | 9 | 0 | 49 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 389 | 191 | +198 | 8 | 0 | 44 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | NTT Communications Shining Arcs | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 384 | 137 | +247 | 7 | 1 | 40 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Yokogawa Musashino Atlastars | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 299 | 236 | +63 | 6 | 0 | 34 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Kurita Water | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 273 | 255 | +18 | 5 | 1 | 30 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Kamaishi Seawaves | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 277 | 294 | −17 | 8 | 1 | 29 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 259 | 251 | +8 | 5 | 3 | 24 | |||||||||||||
| 8 | Shimizu Blue Sharks | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 159 | 304 | −145 | 2 | 1 | 15 | ||||||||||||
| 9 | JAL Wings | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 220 | 436 | −216 | 3 | 2 | 9 | ||||||||||||
| 10 | Akita Northern Bullets | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 191 | 407 | −216 | 3 | 1 | 8 | ||||||||||||
| 11 | Insurance Meiji Life Yasuda | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 119 | 482 | −363 | 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 (P) indicates a team newly promoted from lower leagues. |
The following match was played:
The final standings for the 2006 Top Kyūshū League were:[3]
| 2006 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 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 466 | 24 | +442 | 5 | 0 | 25 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Mazda Blue Zoomers | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 243 | 106 | +137 | 4 | 0 | 20 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Chugoku Electric Power | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 149 | 171 | −22 | 4 | 1 | 15 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 105 | 184 | −79 | 3 | 0 | 13 | |||||||||||||
| 5 | JR Kyūshū Thunders | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 102 | 274 | −172 | 2 | 1 | 7 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Mitsubishi Mizushima | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 34 | 330 | −296 | 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. |
| 2006 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 | Kyuden Voltex | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 145 | 3 | +142 | 2 | 0 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Mazda Blue Zoomers | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 57 | 72 | −15 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 141 | −127 | 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. |
The final standings for the 2007 Top League Challenge 1 were:[4]
| 2007 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 | 90 | 33 | +57 | 2 | 0 | 10 | |||||||||||||
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 44 | 80 | −36 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 52 | 73 | −21 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 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 2007 Top League Challenge 1:[4]
The final standings for the 2007 Top League Challenge 2 were:[4]
| 2007 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 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 128 | 44 | +84 | 2 | 0 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 112 | 66 | +46 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | Mazda Blue Zoomers | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 152 | −130 | 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. |
The following matches were played in the 2006 Top League Challenge 2:[4]