| 2004 Top League Challenge Series | |
| Countries: | Japan |
| Date: | 10 – 24 January 2004 |
| Champions: | Toyota Verblitz |
| Count: | 1 |
| Runnersup: | IBM Big Blue |
| Promoted: | IBM Big Blue Toyota Verblitz |
| Matches: | 6 |
| Nextseason: | 2005 |
The 2004 Top League Challenge Series was the 2004 edition of the Top League Challenge Series, a second-tier rugby union competition in Japan, in which teams from regionalised leagues competed for promotion to the Top League for the 2004–05 season. The competition was contested from 10 to 24 January 2004.
IBM Big Blue and Toyota Verblitz won promotion to the 2004–05 Top League, while Kyuden Voltex and Toyota Industries Shuttles progressed to the promotion play-offs.
The top two teams from the regional Top East League, Top West League and Top Kyūshū League qualified to the Top League Challenge Series. The regional league winners participated in Challenge 1, while the runners-up participated in Challenge 2.
The top two teams in Challenge 1 won automatic promotion to the 2004–05 Top League, while the third-placed team in Challenge 1 and the Challenge 2 winner qualified to the promotion play-offs.
The teams qualified to the Challenge 1 and Challenge 2 series through the 2003 regional leagues.
The final standings for the 2003 Top West League were:[1]
| 2003 Top West League standings | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts< | -- Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts--> |
| 1 | Toyota Verblitz | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 717 | 31 | +686 | 7 | 0 | 35 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Toyota Industries Shuttles | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 484 | 157 | +327 | 6 | 0 | 30 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Osaka Police | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 168 | 340 | −172 | 3 | 0 | 19 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 223 | 464 | −41 | 3 | 1 | 16 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 197 | 278 | −81 | 3 | 1 | 16 | |||||||||||||
| 6 | Honda Heat | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 176 | 301 | −125 | 2 | 0 | 14 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | JR West Railers | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 144 | 285 | −141 | 3 | 0 | 11 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Mitsubishi Red Evolutions | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 99 | 552 | −453 | 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, TB = Try bonus points, LB = Losing bonus points, Pts = Log points. |
The final standings for the 2003 Top East League were:[2]
| 2003 Top East League (East) standings | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts< | -- Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts--> |
| 1 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 634 | 101 | +533 | 9 | 0 | 45 | |||||||||||||
| 2 | Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 247 | 218 | +29 | 5 | 1 | 34 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Kamaishi Seawaves | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 255 | 220 | +35 | 4 | 1 | 29 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | NTT Communications Shining Arcs | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 220 | 231 | −11 | 4 | 0 | 28 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Insurance Meiji Life Yasuda | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 233 | 240 | −7 | 4 | 2 | 24 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Kurita Water | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 255 | 252 | +3 | 4 | 3 | 23 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 264 | 245 | +19 | 4 | 1 | 23 | |||||||||||||
| 8 | JAL Wings | 9 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 205 | 221 | −16 | 5 | 0 | 17 | ||||||||||||
| 9 | Yokogawa Musashino Atlastars | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 155 | 372 | −217 | 2 | 1 | 7 | ||||||||||||
| 10 | Shimizu Blue Sharks | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 105 | 383 | −278 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 2003 Top East League (North) standings | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | NTT Burns | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 216 | 69 | +147 | 4 | 1 | 25 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Akita Northern Bullets | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 245 | 97 | +148 | 3 | 0 | 23 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Funaoka SDF Wild Boars | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 230 | 158 | +72 | 4 | 2 | 11 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 36 | 403 | −367 | 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, TB = Try bonus points, LB = Losing bonus points, Pts = Log points. |
The following matches were played:
The final standings for the 2003 Top Kyūshū League were:[3]
| 2003 Top Kyūshū League First Phase standings | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts< | -- Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts--> |
| 1 | Coca-Cola West Red Sparks | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 456 | 44 | +412 | 6 | 0 | 30 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Kyuden Voltex | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 337 | 74 | +263 | 5 | 0 | 25 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Chugoku Electric Power | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 333 | 236 | +97 | 4 | 0 | 20 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Mitsubishi Mizushima | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 91 | 296 | −205 | 2 | 0 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Mazda Blue Zoomers | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 124 | 67 | +57 | 2 | 0 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 109 | 373 | −264 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |||||||||||||
| 7 | JR Kyūshū Thunders | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 68 | 428 | −360 | 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, TB = Try bonus points, LB = Losing bonus points, Pts = Log points. |
| 2003 Top Kyūshū League Second Phase standings | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts< | -- Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts--> |
| 1 | Kyuden Voltex | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 99 | 13 | +86 | 1 | 0 | 9 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Coca-Cola West Red Sparks | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 80 | 36 | +44 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 147 | −130 | 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, TB = Try bonus points, LB = Losing bonus points, Pts = Log points. |
The final standings for the 2004 Top League Challenge 1 were:[4]
| 2004 Top League Challenge 1 standings | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts< | -- Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts--> |
| 1 | Toyota Verblitz | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 128 | 27 | +101 | 2 | 0 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 64 | 58 | +6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | Kyuden Voltex | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 139 | −107 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Legend: P = Games played, W = Games won, D = Games drawn, L = Games lost, PF = Points for, PA = Points against, PD = Points difference, TB = Try bonus points, LB = Losing bonus points, Pts = Log points. |
The following matches were played in the 2004 Top League Challenge 1:[4]
The final standings for the 2004 Top League Challenge 2 were:[4]
| 2004 Top League Challenge 2 standings | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts< | -- Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts--> |
| 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 102 | 45 | +57 | 2 | 0 | 10 | |||||||||||||
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 43 | 87 | −44 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 57 | 70 | −13 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Legend: P = Games played, W = Games won, D = Games drawn, L = Games lost, PF = Points for, PA = Points against, PD = Points difference, TB = Try bonus points, LB = Losing bonus points, Pts = Log points. |
The following matches were played in the 2004 Top League Challenge 2:[4]