2008 Top League Challenge Series | |
Countries: | Japan |
Date: | 27 January – 10 February 2008 |
Champions: | Kintetsu Liners |
Count: | 1 |
Runnersup: | Yokogawa Musashino Atlastars |
Promoted: | Kintetsu Liners Yokogawa Musashino Atlastars |
Matches: | 6 |
Prevseason: | 2007 |
Nextseason: | 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.
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.
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.
The teams qualified to the Challenge 1 and Challenge 2 series through the 2007 regional leagues.
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< | -- 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 | 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< | --Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts--> |
1 | 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. |
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< | -- 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 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 254 | 199 | +55 | 7 | 0 | 35 | |||||||||||||
5 | 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:
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< | --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 | 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< | --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 | 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. |
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< | -- 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 | 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. |
The following matches were played in the 2008 Top League Challenge 1:[4]
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< | --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 | 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. |
The following matches were played in the 2008 Top League Challenge 2:[4]