2018 Top Challenge League
The 2018 Top Challenge League was the second season of Japan's second-tier domestic rugby union competition, the Top Challenge League.[1]
| 2018 Top Challenge League | |
|---|---|
| Countries | Japan |
| Date | 8 September – 9 December 2018 |
| Champions | NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes (3rd title) |
| Runners-up | Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars |
| Matches played | 40 |
| Tries scored | 332 (average 8.3 per match) |
It was played from 8 September to 9 December 2018, with eight participating teams. NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes won the competition for the third time – having previously won in 2010–11 and 2016–17 and qualified for the promotion play-offs, along with Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars, Kintetsu Liners and Kurita Water Gush. Kamaishi Seawaves and Chugoku Red Regulions finished seventh and eighth respectively to qualify for the relegation play-offs.
Competition rules
In January 2017, the JRFU announced the format of the Top Challenge League competition. The competition was played in two stages. The First Stage was a round-robin format, where all eight teams played each other once.
The top four teams in the First Stage progressed to Group A of the Second Stage, while the bottom four teams progressed to Group B. Each of these groups was another round-robin, with all four teams playing each other once.
The four teams that competed in Group A progressed to promotion play-offs against the bottom four teams in the 2018–19 Top League.
The two team that finished bottom and second-bottom of Group B progressed to the relegation play-offs, along with the winners and the runners-up of the Regional Challenge, held between the champions of the Top East League, Top West League and Top Kyūshū League.
Teams
Location of teams in the 2018 Top Challenge League
The following teams took part in the 2018 Top Challenge League competition:
| 2018 Top Challenge League teams | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team Name | Based | 2017–18 placing |
| Chugoku Red Regulions | Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture | Top Challenge League, 6th |
| Kamaishi Seawaves | Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture | Top Challenge League, 7th |
| Kintetsu Liners | Higashiosaka, Osaka, Kansai | Top League, Relegated |
| Kurita Water Gush | Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture | Regional Leagues, Champions |
| Kyuden Voltex | Fukuoka, Kyūshū | Top Challenge League, 4th |
| Mazda Blue Zoomers | Fuchū, Hiroshima Prefecture | Top Challenge League, 5th |
| Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars | Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture | Top Challenge League, 3rd |
| NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes | Osaka, Kansai | Top League, Relegated |
First Stage
Standings
The current standings for the 2018 Top Challenge League First Stage are:
| 2018 Top Challenge League First Stage standings | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts |
| 1 | Kintetsu Liners | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 301 | 86 | +215 | 47 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 34 |
| 2 | NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 345 | 136 | +209 | 54 | 21 | 5 | 1 | 30 |
| 3 | Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 250 | 157 | +93 | 38 | 23 | 4 | 0 | 24 |
| 4 | Kurita Water Gush | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 155 | 180 | −25 | 24 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| 5 | Kamaishi Seawaves | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 176 | 226 | −50 | 24 | 34 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| 6 | Mazda Blue Zoomers | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 173 | 275 | −102 | 26 | 41 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 7 | Chugoku Red Regulions | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 159 | 310 | −151 | 23 | 46 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 8 | Kyuden Voltex | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 90 | 279 | −189 | 14 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Legend: P = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, PD = Points Difference, TF = Tries For, TA = Tries Against, TB = Try Bonus Points, LB = Losing Bonus Points, Pts = Log Points. The top four teams qualified for the Second Stage Group A. The bottom four teams qualified for the Second Stage Group B. |
Matches
The 2018 Top Challenge League First Stage fixtures are:[2]
Round One
| 8 September 2018 | Kintetsu Liners | 61–14 | Mazda Blue Zoomers | |||
| 14:00 | Scoreboard[3] | Attendance: 750 |
| 8 September 2018 | Chugoku Red Regulions | 13–22 | Kyuden Voltex | |||
| 16:00 | Scoreboard[4] | Attendance: 800 |
| 9 September 2018 | Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars | 42–17 | Kamaishi Seawaves | |||
| 12:30 | Scoreboard[5] | Attendance: 2,783 |
| 9 September 2018 | Kurita Water Gush | 17–53 | NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes | |||
| 15:00 | Scoreboard[6] | Attendance: 5,880 |
Round Two
| 16 September 2018 | Chugoku Red Regulions | 15–40 | Kurita Water Gush | |||
| 12:30 | Scoreboard[7] | Attendance: 670 |
| 16 September 2018 | Kamaishi Seawaves | 28–29 | Mazda Blue Zoomers | |||
| 14:00 | Scoreboard[8] | Attendance: 775 |
| 16 September 2018 | Kyuden Voltex | 17–38 | Kintetsu Liners | |||
| 15:00 | Scoreboard[9] | Attendance: 1,363 |
| 16 September 2018 | NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes | 31–12 | Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars | |||
| 17:00 | Scoreboard[10] | Attendance: 2,342 |
Round Three
| 29 September 2018 | Kintetsu Liners | 38–7 | Kurita Water Gush | |||
| 13:00 | Scoreboard[11] | Attendance: 740 |
| 29 September 2018 | Mazda Blue Zoomers | 19–52 | NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes | |||
| 13:00 | Scoreboard[12] | Attendance: 1,030 |
| 29 September 2018 | Kyuden Voltex | 10–30 | Kamaishi Seawaves | |||
| 12:00 | Scoreboard[13] | Attendance: 300 |
| 30 September 2018 | Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars | 68–17 | Chugoku Red Regulions | |||
| 12:00 | Scoreboard[14] | Attendance: 700 |
Round Four
| 6 October 2018 | Mazda Blue Zoomers | 23–24 | Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars | |||
| 13:00 | Scoreboard[15] | Attendance: 320 |
| 6 October 2018 | Kyuden Voltex | 5–17 | Kurita Water Gush | |||
| 12:00 | Scoreboard[16] | Attendance: 150 |
| 7 October 2018 | Kamaishi Seawaves | 27–52 | NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes | |||
| 14:00 | Scoreboard[17] | Attendance: 1,509 |
| 7 October 2018 | Kintetsu Liners | 55–0 | Chugoku Red Regulions | |||
| 13:00 | Scoreboard[18] | Attendance: 1,138 |
Round Five
| 20 October 2018 | NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes | 79–0 | Kyuden Voltex | |||
| 11:30 | Scoreboard[19] | Attendance: 1,642 |
| 20 October 2018 | Chugoku Red Regulions | 24–52 | Kamaishi Seawaves | |||
| 11:30 | Scoreboard[20] | Attendance: 3,000 |
| 21 October 2018 | Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars | 14–52 | Kintetsu Liners | |||
| 14:00 | Scoreboard[21] | Attendance: 6,886 |
| 21 October 2018 | Kurita Water Gush | 34–19 | Mazda Blue Zoomers | |||
| 13:00 | Scoreboard[22] | Attendance: 1,500 |
Round Six
| 26 October 2018 | Kurita Water Gush | 0–38 | Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars | |||
| 19:15 | Scoreboard[23] | Attendance: 7,717 |
| 27 October 2018 | Kamaishi Seawaves | 10–29 | Kintetsu Liners | |||
| 14:00 | Scoreboard[24] | Attendance: 1,278 |
| 27 October 2018 | Mazda Blue Zoomers | 50–19 | Kyuden Voltex | |||
| 14:00 | Scoreboard[25] | Attendance: 800 |
| 28 October 2018 | NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes | 54–33 | Chugoku Red Regulions | |||
| 14:00 | Scoreboard[26] | Attendance: 500 |
Round Seven
| 3 November 2018 | Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars | 52–17 | Kyuden Voltex | |||
| 13:15 | Scoreboard[27] | Attendance: 1,600 |
| 4 November 2018 | Mazda Blue Zoomers | 19–57 | Chugoku Red Regulions | |||
| 13:00 | Scoreboard[28] | Attendance: 1,200 |
| 4 November 2018 | Kamaishi Seawaves | 12–40 | Kurita Water Gush | |||
| 14:00 | Scoreboard[29] | Attendance: 2,312 |
| 4 November 2018 | Kintetsu Liners | 28–24 | NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes | |||
| 14:00 | Scoreboard[30] | Attendance: 8,047 |
Second Stage Group A
Standings
The standings for the 2018 Top Challenge League Second Stage Group A are:
| 2018 Top Challenge League Second Stage Group A standings | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | S1B | TB | LB | Pts |
| 1 | NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 115 | 23 | +92 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 16 |
| 2 | Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 64 | 71 | −7 | 9 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
| 3 | Kintetsu Liners | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 82 | 50 | +32 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 4 | Kurita Water Gush | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 131 | −117 | 2 | 21 | 0 | 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, TF = Tries For, TA = Tries Against, S1B = Stage 1 Bonus Points, TB = Try Bonus Points, LB = Losing Bonus Points, Pts = Log Points. |
- Kintetsu Liners, Kurita Water Gush, Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars and NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes qualified for the promotion play-offs.
Round One
| 25 November 2018 | NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes | 45–10 | Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars | |||
| 11:30 | Scoreboard[31] | Attendance: 700 |
| 25 November 2018 | Kintetsu Liners | 57–0 | Kurita Water Gush | |||
| 14:00 | Scoreboard[32] | Attendance: 500 |
Round Two
| 1 December 2018 | NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes | 50–7 | Kurita Water Gush | |||
| 11:30 | Scoreboard[33] | Attendance: 1,646 |
| 1 December 2018 | Kintetsu Liners | 19–30 | Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars | |||
| 14:00 | Scoreboard[34] | Attendance: 2,622 |
Round Three
| 9 December 2018 | Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars | 24–7 | Kurita Water Gush | |||
| 11:30 | Scoreboard |
| 9 December 2018 | Kintetsu Liners | 6–20 | NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes | |||
| 14:00 | Scoreboard |
Second Stage Group B
Standings
The standings for the 2018 Top Challenge League Second Stage Group B are:
| 2018 Top Challenge League Second Stage Group B standings | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | S1B | TB | LB | Pts |
| 5 | Kyuden Voltex | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 89 | 49 | +40 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| 6 | Mazda Blue Zoomers | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 80 | 91 | −11 | 10 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 7 | Kamaishi Seawaves | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 87 | 89 | −2 | 12 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 8 | Chugoku Red Regulions | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 47 | 74 | −27 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Legend: P = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, PD = Points Difference, TF = Tries For, TA = Tries Against, S1B = Stage 1 Bonus Points, TB = Try Bonus Points, LB = Losing Bonus Points, Pts = Log Points. |
- Kyuden Voltex and Mazda Blue Zoomers remain in the Top Challenge League for 2019.
- Chugoku Red Regulions and Kamaishi Seawaves qualify for the relegation play-offs.
Round One
| 18 November 2018 | Mazda Blue Zoomers | 24–22 | Chugoku Red Regulions | |||
| 11:30 | Scoreboard[35] |
| 18 November 2018 | Kamaishi Seawaves | 18–39 | Kyuden Voltex | |||
| 14:00 | Scoreboard[36] |
Round Two
| 1 December 2018 | Mazda Blue Zoomers | 31–24 | Kyuden Voltex | |||
| 11:30 | Scoreboard[37] | Attendance: 500 |
| 1 December 2018 | Kamaishi Seawaves | 24–25 | Chugoku Red Regulions | |||
| 14:00 | Scoreboard[38] | Attendance: 600 |
Round Three
| 9 December 2018 | Chugoku Red Regulions | 0–26 | Kyuden Voltex | |||
| 13:00 | Scoreboard[39] | Attendance: 1,050 |
| 9 December 2018 | Kamaishi Seawaves | 45–25 | Mazda Blue Zoomers | |||
| 15:00 | Scoreboard[40] | Attendance: 1,050 |
Promotion play-offs
- Top League sides Hino Red Dolphins and Munakata Sanix Blues won their matches to remain in the Top League for 2019–20.
- Top League sides Coca-Cola Red Sparks and Toyota Industries Shuttles lost their matches and were relegated to the Top Challenge League for 2019.
- Top Challenge League sides Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars and NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes won their matches to win promotion to the Top League for 2019–20.
- Top Challenge League sides Kintetsu Liners and Kurita Water Gush lost their matches to remain in the Top Challenge League for 2019.
The matches played were:
| 23 December 2018 | Munakata Sanix Blues | 75–0 | Kurita Water Gush | |||
| 13:00 | Scoreboard[41] | Attendance: 1,110 |
| 23 December 2018 | Hino Red Dolphins | 21–11 | Kintetsu Liners | |||
| 13:00 | Scoreboard[42] | Attendance: 1,780 |
| 23 December 2018 | Toyota Industries Shuttles | 7–31 | Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars | |||
| 13:00 | Scoreboard[43] | Attendance: 3,288 |
| 23 December 2018 | Coca-Cola Red Sparks | 24–33 | NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes | |||
| 13:00 | Scoreboard[44] | Attendance: 3,746 |
Relegation play-offs
- Top Challenge League side Kamaishi Seawaves won their match to remain in the Top Challenge League for 2019.
- Top Challenge League side Chugoku Red Regulions lost their match and was relegated to the Top Kyūshū League for 2019.
- Top League East side Shimizu Blue Sharks won their match to win promotion to the Top Challenge League for 2019.
- Top League West side Chubu Electric Power lost their match to remain in the Top League West for 2019.
The matches played were:
| 5 January 2019 | Kamaishi Seawaves | 41–7 | Chubu Electric Power | |||
| 13:00 | Scoreboard |
| 5 January 2019 | Chugoku Red Regulions | 28–33 | Shimizu Blue Sharks | |||
| 13:00 | Scoreboard |
See also
References
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