2022–23 División de Honor de Rugby explained

2022–23 División de Honor
Countries: Spain
Date:2 October 2022
Champions:Valladolid
Runnersup:Aparejadores
Promoted:Alcobendas
Relegated:La Vila, Gernika
Prevseason:2021–22
Nextseason:2023–24

The 2022–23 División de Honor was the 56th season of the División de Honor, the top flight of Spanish domestic rugby union.

Valladolid won its sixth title in seven years, its twelfth overall, defeating Aparejadores in the final.

Competition format

The season took place between October and May.

Points were awarded as follows:

Each team plays twelve games - one game against each opponent. Then the league divides into two groups: the top six teams will progress to Group A and the remaining seven teams will progress to Group B. The teams play the other members of their groups once more, meaning Group A teams play a further five games and Group B teams play a further six.[1]

As before, eight teams will progress through to the playoffs, meaning the top two teams from Group B will qualify along with the six teams from Group A.[2]

As the division has an extra team, two teams will be automatically relegated (instead of one) and the team finishing eleventh will contest a playoff against the runner-up from the División B playoffs.

The division is made up of thirteen teams this season instead of the usual twelve after controversy during the 2021-22 season.

La Vila and Gernika finished eleventh and twelfth in 2021-22, but Alcobendas were automatically relegated for fielding an ineligible player. This earned La Vila a reprieve from relegation. Initially, Gernika were set to be relegated, but they argued that Alcobendas' point reduction meant the Madrid side technically finished bottom, and that they were therefore denied their rightful opportunity to play off against the runner-up from the Division B playoffs, Belenos RC.

The Spanish Rugby Federation ruled that denying either team - Gernika or Belenos - a place in the top flight would be unfair.[3]

Promotion and relegation

The second-tier División de Honor B is made up of three regional groups. The top eight teams across the three groups play off; the champion is promoted to División de Honor, at the expense of the team which finishes last in the División de Honor.

The runner-up plays a further playoff against the team which finishes 11th in the top flight.

Teams

Alcobendas were relegated while Pozuelo and Belenos RC were promoted. Gernika were given a reprieve despite finishing bottom of the table last year, meaning the division grew to 13 members.

Team Stadium CapacityLocation
AparejadoresSan Amaro1,500Burgos, Castile and León
Belenos RCEstadio Santa Bárbara5,000Avilés, Asturias
CienciasInstalaciones Deportivas La Cartuja1,932Seville, Andalusia
Estadio Complutense12,400Madrid, Madrid
El SalvadorPepe Rojo5,000Valladolid, Castile and León
FC BarcelonaLa Teixonera500Barcelona, Catalonia
Gernika RTUrbieta zelaia1,000Gernika
La VilaCampo de Rugby El Pantano3,000Villajoyosa, Valencia
Les AbellesPolideportivo Quatre Carreres500
OrdiziaAltamira500Ordizia, Basque Country
PozueloValle de las Cañas500Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid
SantboianaBaldiri Aleu4,000Sant Boi de Llobregat, Catalonia
ValladolidPepe Rojo5,000Valladolid, Castile and León

Standings

First phase

style=min-width:10em TeamPWDL+/-
11211013861702165019318153
2Ciencias1210024811922897320538149
3Aparejadores1210025022452576535306147
4El Salvador127143562401164829195136
5FC Barcelona127054062881185735222434
6Santboiana12714360292684837112234
7127052712629313103233
8Ordizia12507306343-373941-22325
9Pozuelo12507337405-684056-162123
10Belenos RC12408234332-982843-151219
11Les Abelles12309267346-793346-132418
12Gernika RT121011225402-1773358-25127
13La Vila12001284698-6149104-95000
Qualified for Group A
Qualified for Group B

Second phase

Group A

style=min-width:10em TeamPWDL+/-
117141256227229075344110270
2Aparejadores1715026673323358546398169
3Ciencias17131363528734896326411161
4Santboiana1791748745730636032343
5FC Barcelona17808518484347262102438
6El Salvador1771942039327584995338
Group B
style=min-width:10em TeamPWDL+/-
11812065503921587150216256
2Ordizia1810086084891198460246349
3Belenos RC188010393469-765059-93237
4Les Abelles187011476466106061-13536
5Pozuelo186012528573-456878-103431
6Gernika RT183015353582-2295285-332317
7La Vila1800181311132-100114172-158000
Qualified for playoff quarterfinals
Relegation playoff
Relegation to División de Honor B

Copa del Rey

The Copa del Rey's format was changed.

The teams finishing in the top six after the first phase of the league qualified for the Copa del Rey. The team finishing third played the team finishing sixth, while the team finishing fourth faced the team finishing fifth.

Playoffs

The winners of these two games progressed to the semifinal draw with the top two.

Semifinals

The final was won by Valladolid in May, setting them on the path to a league and cup double.

Final

Relegation playoff

The relegation playoff was played over two legs by Pozuelo, the team finishing 10th in División de Honor, and Independiente, the losing team from División de Honor B promotion playoff final. Pozuelo won 170–46 on aggregate and retained their place in the División de Honor for the 2023–24 season.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2022 . Circular 3 . FEDERACIÓN ESPAÑOLA DE RUGBY.
  2. Web site: La División de Honor de rugby arrancará con 13 equipos y cambio de formato. sport.es . es . 28 September 2022.
  3. Web site: 2022-09-10 . La FER incoa expediente sancionador al Alcobendas Rugby y propone su descenso y fuertes multas . 2022-10-15 . Europa Press.