| 2010 Top League Challenge Series | |
| Countries: | Japan |
| Date: | 16 – 30 January 2010 |
| Champions: | NTT Communications Shining Arcs |
| Count: | 1 |
| Runnersup: | Toyota Industries Shuttles |
| Promoted: | NTT Shining Arcs Toyota Industries Shuttles |
| Matches: | 6 |
| Prevseason: | 2009 |
| Nextseason: | 2010–11 |
The 2010 Top League Challenge Series was the 2010 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 2010–11 season. The competition was contested from 11 to 25 January 2010.
NTT Communications Shining Arcs and Toyota Industries Shuttles won promotion to the 2010–11 Top League, while Mazda Blue Zoomers and Yokogawa Musashino Atlastars 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 2010–11 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 2009 regional leagues.
The final standings for the 2009 Top West League were:[1]
| 2009 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 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 679 | 67 | +612 | 8 | 0 | 40 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 469 | 145 | +324 | 6 | 0 | 30 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Osaka Police | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 213 | 273 | −60 | 3 | 1 | 16 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 202 | 353 | −151 | 3 | 0 | 15 | |||||||||||||
| 5 | Mitsubishi Red Evolutions (P) | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 41 | 766 | −725 | 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 2009 Top East League were:[2]
| 2009 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 | NTT Communications Shining Arcs | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 490 | 117 | +373 | 9 | 0 | 53 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Yokogawa Musashino Atlastars (R) | 11 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 454 | 130 | +324 | 7 | 1 | 48 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars | 11 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 421 | 203 | +218 | 8 | 0 | 40 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Tokyo Gas | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 445 | 208 | +237 | 7 | 0 | 37 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Kamaishi Seawaves | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 315 | 230 | +85 | 4 | 2 | 32 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Kurita Water | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 237 | 258 | −21 | 6 | 1 | 29 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 207 | 219 | −12 | 3 | 4 | 25 | |||||||||||||
| 8 | Canon Eagles (P) | 11 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 219 | 264 | −45 | 1 | 3 | 20 | ||||||||||||
| 9 | IBM Big Blue (R) | 11 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 203 | 291 | −88 | 3 | 1 | 20 | ||||||||||||
| 10 | JAL Wings | 11 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 109 | 437 | −328 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 11 | Secom Rugguts | 11 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 93 | 357 | −264 | 0 | 5 | 9 | ||||||||||||
| 12 | Akita Northern Bullets | 11 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 82 | 561 | −479 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||||||||||||
| 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. (P) indicates a team newly promoted from lower leagues. |
The final standings for the 2009 Top Kyūshū League were:[3]
| 2009 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 | 358 | 48 | +310 | 5 | 0 | 25 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Chugoku Electric Power | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 319 | 91 | +228 | 4 | 0 | 20 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | JR Kyūshū Thunders | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 158 | 139 | +19 | 4 | 0 | 16 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Kagoshima Bank (P) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 72 | 247 | −175 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 66 | 236 | −170 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |||||||||||||
| 6 | Mitsubishi Mizushima (P) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 55 | 267 | −212 | 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. (P) indicates a team newly promoted from lower leagues. |
| 2009 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 | 108 | 10 | +98 | 2 | 0 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 69 | 54 | +15 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | JR Kyūshū Thunders | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 113 | −113 | 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 2010 Top League Challenge 1 were:[4]
| 2010 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 | NTT Communications Shining Arcs | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 81 | 35 | +46 | 2 | 0 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 90 | 38 | +52 | 2 | 1 | 7 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 98 | −98 | 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 2010 Top League Challenge 1:[4]
The final standings for the 2010 Top League Challenge 2 were:[4]
| 2010 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 | Yokogawa Musashino Atlastars | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 110 | 40 | +70 | 2 | 0 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 160 | 29 | +131 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 218 | −201 | 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 2010 Top League Challenge 2:[4]