top league

In an effort to drive up the overall standard of Japanese rugby and improve the results of the Japan national rugby union team, the Japan Rugby Football Union has recently created a new semi-professional 12-team league, called the Top League. The first season was 2003-4.

Teams for the third season (2005-6)

After the play-offs (see below) the teams will be as follows. Secom and Sanix have returned after a season out of the league. Thus the team line-up is identical to the first season, 2003-4. Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers
Kubota Spears
NEC Green Rockets
Ricoh Black Rams
Secom Rugguts
Fukuoka Sanix Bombs
Sanyo Wild Knights
Suntory Sungoliath
Toshiba Brave Lupus
Toyota Verblitz
World Fighting Bull
Yamaha Jubilo

Teams for the second season (2004-5)

In the second season the League was composed of the following twelve company-sponsored teams, given here in alphabetical order:
Kintetsu Liners
Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers
Kubota Spears
NEC Green Rockets
Nihon IBM Big Blue
Ricoh Black Rams
Sanyo Wild Knights
Suntory Sungoliath
Toshiba Brave Lupus
Toyota Verblitz
World Fighting Bull
Yamaha Jubilo Rules: The eleventh and twelfth teams are automatically relegated, and the ninth and tenth placed teams must win play-offs to stay in the Top League. The Microsoft Cup is played between the top eight teams after the end of the league games. In the 2004-5 season IBM (12th) and Kintetsu (11th) were automatically relegated. Ricoh (10th) and World (9th) won play-offs and stayed in the league.

Top League Challenge series

The top-placed regional teams from East Japan, West Japan and Kyushu (Secom Rugguts, Toyota Jido Shokki and Fukuoka Sanix Bombs respectively) play each other. The top two are automatically promoted. The third-placed team will play Ricoh Black Rams, with the winner of that game taking a Top League place. The second-placed regional teams (Mitsubishi Juko Sagamihara, Honda Heat and Coca Cola West Japan respectively) also play each other for the right to play World Fighting Bull, with the winner taking a Top League place. Results/Schedule 2005
January 16: Secom Rugguts 0 Fukuoka Sanix Bombs 34 (Komazawa, Tokyo)
January 23: Fukuoka Sanix Bombs 41 Toyota Jido Shokki Industries 36 (Hakata no Mori, Fukuoka)
January 29: Toyota Jido Shokki 17 Secom Rugguts 24 (Mizuho Koen, Nagoya) So Sanix and Secom are promoted to the Top League for 2005-6, and Toyota Shokki must play Ricoh. January 16: Mitsubishi Juko Industries Sagamihara 14 Coca Cola West Japan 62 (Komazawa, Tokyo)
January 23: Coca Cola West Japan 15 Honda Heat 28 (Hakata no Mori, Fukuoka)
January 29: Honda Heat 31 Mitsubishi Juko Sagamihara 54 (Mizuho Koen, Nagoya) So Honda Heat have won the right to play World Fighting Bull for a place in the Top League 2005-6. (Honda Heat won the second-placed teams play-off because they gained a bonus point for the number of tries scored against Mitsubishi Juko Sagamihara.) February 13: Toyota Jido Shokki 7 Ricoh Black Rams 42; Honda Heat 0 World Fighting Bull 49