2003–04 Top League
The 2003–04 Top League was the first season of Japan's domestic rugby union competition, the Top League. Toshiba Brave Lupus won the league by finishing on top of the round-robin competition.
| 2003–04 Top League | |
|---|---|
| Countries |  |
| Date | |
| Champions | Kobelco Steelers |
| Runners-up | Toshiba Brave Lupus |
Toshiba Brave Lupus lost the final of Microsoft Cup to NEC Green Rockets, but the cup was considered a separate competition to the Top League prior to 2007.
Teams
| Team | Region |
|---|---|
| Fukuoka Sanix Bombs | Fukuoka, Kyushu |
| Kintetsu Liners | Osaka, Kansai |
| Kobelco Steelers | Hyogo, Kansai |
| Kubota Spears | Chiba, Kanto |
| NEC Green Rockets | Chiba, Kanto |
| Ricoh Black Rams | Tokyo, Kanto |
| Sanyo Wild Knights | Gunma, Kanto |
| Secom Rugguts | Sayama, Saitama |
| Suntory Sungoliath | Tokyo, Kanto |
| Toshiba Brave Lupus | Tokyo, Kanto |
| World Fighting Bull | Kobe, Kansai |
| Yamaha Jubilo | Shizuoka, Tokai |
Top League season
Final standings
| Top League Table | ||||||||||||||
| Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points For | Points Against | Points Difference | Try Bonus | Losing Bonus | Points | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kobelco Steelers | 11 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 439 | 286 | 153 | 11 | 0 | 47 | |||
| 2 | Toshiba Brave Lupus | 11 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 503 | 283 | 220 | 9 | 1 | 44 | |||
| 3 | Yamaha Jubilo | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 334 | 223 | 111 | 6 | 0 | 42 | |||
| 4 | Suntory Sungoliath | 11 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 408 | 265 | 143 | 9 | 1 | 42 | |||
| 5 | World Fighting Bull | 11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 349 | 285 | 64 | 7 | 1 | 32 | |||
| 6 | NEC Green Rockets | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 411 | 274 | 137 | 6 | 0 | 30 | |||
| 7 | Sanyo Wild Knights | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 319 | 331 | -12 | 6 | 0 | 24 | |||
| 8 | Kubota Spears | 11 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 262 | 362 | -100 | 4 | 2 | 22 | |||
| 9 | Ricoh Black Rams | 11 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 273 | 402 | -129 | 5 | 2 | 19 | |||
| 10 | Kintetsu Liners | 11 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 292 | 510 | -218 | 6 | 0 | 18 | |||
| 11 | Secom Rugguts | 11 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 260 | 405 | -145 | 3 | 0 | 15 | |||
| 12 | Fukuoka Sanix Bombs | 11 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 230 | 454 | -224 | 4 | 2 | 14 | |||
|
• The top 8 teams qualified to the Microsoft Cup play-offs. | ||||||||||||||
|
Source: The Rugby Archive[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). | ||||||||||||||
Fixtures and results
Microsoft Cup play-offs
The top eight teams in the league played off for the Microsoft Cup (2004) knock out tournament, which was won by NEC Green Rockets.
Quarter-finals
| 8 February 2004 | NEC Green Rockets | 32 - 5 | Suntory Sungoliath | |||
| 14:00 |
| 8 February 2004 | Kubota Spears | 32 - 39 | Sanyo Wild Knights | |||
| 14:00 |
| 8 February 2004 | Kobelco Steelers | 35 - 27 | World Fighting Bull | |||
| 14:00 |
| 8 February 2004 | Yamaha Jubilo | 10 - 39 | Toshiba Brave Lupus | |||
| 14:00 |
Semi-finals
| 15 February 2004 | Kobelco Steelers | 10 - 34 | NEC Green Rockets | |||
| 14:00 |
| 15 February 2004 | Sanyo Wild Knights | 34 -36 | Toshiba Brave Lupus | |||
| 14:00 |
Top League Challenge Series
IBM Big Blue and Toyota Verblitz won promotion to the 2004–05 Top League via the 2004 Top League Challenge Series, while Kyuden Voltex 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 2004–05 Top League. The 10th-placed team from the Top League against the 3rd-placed team from Challenge 1. The 9th-placed team from the Top League against the 1st-placed team from Challenge 2.
| 7 February 2004 | Kintetsu Liners | 47 – 24 | Kyuden Voltex | |||
| 14:00 |
| 7 February 2004 | Ricoh Black Rams | 31 – 13 | Toyota Industries Shuttles | |||
| 14:00 |
So Kinetsu and Ricoh stayed in the Top League for the 2004–05 season.
References
- "2003/04 Top League". The Rugby Archive.