| 2015–16 Top League Challenge Series | |
| Countries: | Japan |
| Date: | 13 December 2015 – 24 January 2016 |
| Champions: | Munakata Sanix Blues |
| Count: | 3 |
| Runnersup: | Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars |
| Matches: | 9 |
| Prevseason: | 2014–15 |
| Nextseason: | 2016–17 |
The 2015–16 Top League Challenge Series was the 2015–16 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 2016–17 season. The competition was contested from 13 December 2015 to 24 January 2016.
There was no automatic promotion to the 2016–17 Top League, but Kyuden Voltex, Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars, Munakata Sanix Blues and Osaka Police 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 winner of Challenge 2 also progressed to a four-team Challenge 1.
All four teams in Challenge 1 qualified to the promotion play-offs.
The teams qualified to the Challenge 1 and Challenge 2 series through the 2015 regional leagues.
The final standings for the 2015 Top West League were:[1]
| 2015 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 | Osaka Police | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 160 | 31 | +129 | 3 | 0 | 19 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 112 | 59 | +53 | 2 | 1 | 15 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | Unitika Phoenix (P) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 95 | 85 | +10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | JR West Railers | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 62 | 95 | −33 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Mitsubishi Red Evolutions (P) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 51 | 210 | −159 | 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. |
| 2015 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 | Osaka Police | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 25 | +42 | 1 | 0 | 13 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 95 | 44 | +51 | 2 | 1 | 11 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | JR West Railers | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 76 | −52 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Unitika Phoenix (P) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 38 | 79 | −41 | 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. (P) indicates a team newly promoted from lower leagues. |
The final standings for the 2015 Top East League were:[2]
| 2015 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 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 401 | 126 | +275 | 9 | 0 | 45 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Kamaishi Seawaves | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 298 | 176 | +122 | 6 | 0 | 38 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 376 | 183 | +193 | 6 | 0 | 34 | |||||||||||||
| 4 | Hino Red Dolphins | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 318 | 185 | +133 | 7 | 1 | 32 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Kurita Water | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 284 | 230 | +54 | 7 | 3 | 26 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Yakult Levins | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 223 | 232 | −9 | 3 | 1 | 24 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Akita Northern Bullets | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 121 | 280 | −159 | 2 | 1 | 11 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Yokogawa Musashino Atlastars | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 203 | 364 | −161 | 2 | 1 | 11 | ||||||||||||
| 9 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 110 | 308 | −198 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |||||||||||||
| 10 | Secom Rugguts | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 160 | 410 | −250 | 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 final standings for the 2015 Top Kyūshū League were:[3]
| 2015 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 | Munakata Sanix Blues (R) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 583 | 22 | +561 | 7 | 0 | 35 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Kyuden Voltex | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 404 | 87 | +317 | 5 | 0 | 29 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Mazda Blue Zoomers | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 292 | 179 | +113 | 5 | 0 | 25 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Chugoku Electric Power | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 302 | 178 | +124 | 4 | 1 | 21 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | JR Kyūshū Thunders | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 202 | 245 | −43 | 4 | 0 | 16 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 152 | 367 | −215 | 2 | 0 | 10 | |||||||||||||
| 7 | Nippon Steel Yawata (P) | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 49 | 461 | −412 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Fukuoka Bank | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 52 | 497 | −445 | 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. (P) indicates a team newly promoted from lower leagues. |
| 2015 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 | Munakata Sanix Blues (R) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 217 | 12 | +205 | 3 | 0 | 15 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Kyuden Voltex | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 71 | 105 | −34 | 2 | 0 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Mazda Blue Zoomers | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 55 | 143 | −88 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 37 | 120 | −83 | 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 2015–16 Top League Challenge 1 were:[4]
| 2015–16 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 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 166 | 32 | +134 | 3 | 0 | 15 | |||||||||||||
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 115 | 86 | +29 | 2 | 0 | 10 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 64 | 107 | −43 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |||||||||||||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 142 | −120 | 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 2015–16 Top League Challenge 1:[4]
The final standings for the 2015–16 Top League Challenge 2 were:[4]
| 2015–16 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 | Kyuden Voltex | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 29 | +40 | 2 | 0 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Kamaishi Seawaves | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 68 | 50 | +18 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 29 | 87 | −58 | 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 2015–16 Top League Challenge 2:[4]