2008–09 Top League

The 2008–09 Top League was the sixth season of Japan's domestic rugby union competition, the Top League. The Toshiba Brave Lupus defeated Sanyo Wild Knights by 17–6 in the final of the Microsoft Cup to claim the 2008–09 Top League championship.

2008–09 Top League
Toshiba playing Sanyo for the 2009 Microsoft Cup.
Countries Japan
Date5 September 2008 - 18 January 2009
ChampionsToshiba Brave Lupus (4th title)
Runners-upSanyo Wild Knights

The Top League is a semi-professional competition which is at the top of the national league system in Japan, with promotion and relegation between the next level down.

Preseason

Kintetsu Liners returned to the league, and Yokogawa Denki were promoted for the first time (and renamed Yokogawa Musashino Atlastars in the off season). They replaced Ricoh Black Rams and Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars.

Teams
Team Region
Coca-Cola West Red Sparks Fukuoka, Kyushu
Fukuoka Sanix Blues Fukuoka, Kyushu
IBM Big Blue Chiba, Kanto
Kintetsu Liners Osaka, Kansai
Kobelco Steelers Hyogo, Kansai
Kubota Spears Chiba, Kanto
Kyuden Voltex Fukuoka, Kyushu
NEC Green Rockets Chiba, Kanto
Sanyo Wild Knights Gunma, Kanto
Suntory Sungoliath Tokyo, Kanto
Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo, Kanto
Toyota Verblitz Aichi, Tokai
Yamaha Jubilo Shizuoka, Tokai
Yokogawa Musashino Atlastars Tokyo, Kanto

Regular season

Final standings
Top League Table
Club Played Won Drawn Lost Points For Points Against Points Difference Try Bonus Losing Bonus Points
1 Toshiba Brave Lupus 131201563211+35211059
2 Sanyo Wild Knights 131201584197+38710058
3 Suntory Sungoliath 131003482298+18410151
4 Kobelco Steelers 13904358300+585243
5 NEC Green Rockets 13805298309−114137
6 Kubota Spears 13805309334−254137
7 Yamaha Jubilo 13706344304+406135
8 Toyota Verblitz 13607310286+244331
9 Kintetsu Liners 13508319348−296228
10 Coca-Cola West Red Sparks 13607273353−801126
11 Fukuoka Sanix Blues 133010266442−1765421
12 Kyuden Voltex 133010345451−1064218
13 IBM Big Blue 131012222496−274138
14 Yokogawa Musashino Atlastars 131012230574−344408

 • The top 4 teams qualified for the title play-offs.
 • The top 6 teams also qualified for entry into the All-Japan Rugby Football Championship.
 • Teams 11 and 12 went through to the promotion and relegation play-offs against regional challengers.     
 • Teams 13 and 14 were automatically relegated.

[1]

Four points for a win, two for a draw, one bonus point for four tries or more (BP1) and one bonus point for losing by seven or less (BP2).
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
 • Difference between points for and against
 • Total number of points for
 • Number of matches won
 • Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
 • Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled

    Title play-offs

    Top 4 sides of the regular season competed in the Microsoft Cup (2009) knock out tournament to fight for the Top League title. The top 4 teams of 2008–09 were Toshiba Brave Lupus, Sanyo Wild Knights, Kobe Steelers and Suntory Sungoliath.

    Semi-finals

    Final
    8 February 2009 Toshiba Brave Lupus 17–6 Sanyo Wild Knights Chichibunomiya, Tokyo  
    14:00 Report[2] Attendance: 17,000

    Top League Challenge Series
    Main article: 2009 Top League Challenge Series

    Honda Heat and Ricoh Black Rams won promotion to the 2009–10 Top League via the 2009 Top League Challenge Series, while Mazda Blue Zoomers and Toyota Industries Shuttles progressed to the promotion play-offs.

    Promotion and relegation play-offs

    Two promotion/relegation matches (Irekaesen) were played with the winners qualifying for the Top League in the next season. The 12th-placed team from the Top League against the 3rd-placed team from Challenge 1. The 11th-placed team from the Top League against the 1st-placed team from Challenge 2.

    So Sanix and Kyuden stayed in the Top League for the following season.

    Top 10 points scorers
    Player Team Pts T C PG DG
    1David Hill Toshiba Brave Lupus2261160170
    2Ryan Nicholas Suntory Sungoliath158541170
    3Shane Drahm Kubota Spears136116312
    4Yasumasa Shigemitsu Kintetsu Liners123522180
    5Thinus Delport Kobelco Steelers122418220
    6Genki Saito Kyuden Voltex117228161
    6Tadanobu Ko IBM Big Blue117222201
    8Masakazu Irie Sanyo Wild Knights114333110
    9Ayumu Goromaru Yamaha Jubilo98415160
    10Daisuke Haradome Coca-Cola West Red Sparks88416120

    Table notes

    • Pts = Points scored
    • T = Tries
    • C = Conversions
    • PG = Penalty Goals
    • DG = Drop Goals

    End-of-season awards

    Best fifteen
    Position Name Team
    1PRHisateru Nirashima Kobelco Steelers
    2HOYusuke Aoki Suntory Sungoliath
    3PRKensuke Hatakeyama Suntory Sungoliath
    4LOHitoshi Ono Toshiba Brave Lupus
    5LODaniel Heenan Sanyo Wild Knights
    6FLSteven Bates Toshiba Brave Lupus
    7FLReuben Thorne Yamaha Jubilo
    8No.8Ryukoliniasi Holani Sanyo Wild Knights
    9SHFumiaki Tanaka Sanyo Wild Knights
    10SODavid Hill Toshiba Brave Lupus
    11WTBHirotoki Onozawa Suntory Sungoliath
    12CTBRyan Nicholas Suntory Sungoliath
    13CTBSeiichi Shimonura Sanyo Wild Knights
    14WTBTomoki Kitagawa Sanyo Wild Knights
    15FBHiroki Yoshida Toshiba Brave Lupus

    Table Notes

    • PR = Prop
    • HO = Hooker
    • LO = Lock
    • FL = Flanker
    • SH = Scrum Half
    • SO = Stand Off
    • CTB = Centre Three Quarter Back
    • WTB = Wing THree Quarter Back
    • FB = Full back

    References
    1. "2008/09 Top League". The Rugby Archive.
    2. "Scandal clouds Toshiba's victory in Microsoft Cup". Japan Times. 9 February 2009. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
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