| 2017 Top Challenge League | |
| Countries: | Japan |
| Date: | 9 September – 23 December 2017 |
| Champions: | Honda Heat |
| Runnersup: | Hino Red Dolphins |
| Promoted: | Honda Heat, Hino Red Dolphins |
| Relegated: | Chubu Electric Power |
| Matches: | 40 |
| Prevseason: | 2016–17 |
| Nextseason: | 2018 |
The 2017 Top Challenge League was the inaugural season of Japan's second-tier domestic rugby union competition, the Top Challenge League.[1]
It was played from 9 September to 23 December 2017, with eight participating teams. Honda Heat won the competition for the second time – having previously won in 2014–15 – and won promotion to the 2018–19 Top League. Hino Red Dolphins, Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars and Kyuden Voltex finished second, third and fourth respectively to qualify for the promotion play-offs, while Kamaishi Seawaves finished seventh to qualify for the relegation play-offs. Chubu Electric Power finished eighth to be relegated to the third tier regional leagues for 2018.
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 team that finished top of Group A won automatic promotion to the 2018–19 Top League, while the other three teams in Group A progressed to promotion play-offs against the teams placed 13th, 14th and 15th in the 2017–18 Top League.
The team that finished bottom of Group B were relegated to the regional leagues for 2018. The winners of the Top East League, Top West League and Top Kyūshū League competed in a Regional Challenge, with the winner replacing the relegated team in the 2018 Top Challenge League. The second-bottom team in Group B progressed to a promotion / relegation play-off match against the runner-up of the Regional Challenge.[2]
The following teams took part in the 2017 Top Challenge League competition:
The final standings for the 2017 Top Challenge League First Stage were:
| 2017 Top Challenge League First Stage 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 | Honda Heat | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 506 | 71 | +434 | 7 | 0 | 35 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Hino Red Dolphins | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 285 | 157 | +128 | 4 | 0 | 28 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 242 | 125 | +117 | 3 | 1 | 24 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Kyuden Voltex | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 209 | 178 | +31 | 2 | 0 | 18 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Kamaishi Seawaves | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 162 | 188 | −26 | 2 | 1 | 13 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Mazda Blue Zoomers | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 176 | 217 | −41 | 1 | 0 | 11 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Chugoku Red Regulions | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 88 | 369 | −281 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 76 | 439 | −363 | 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 standings for the 2017 Top Challenge League Second Stage Group A are:
| 2017 Top Challenge League Second Stage Group A standings | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | S1B | TB | LB | Pts< | -- Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | S1 | TB | LB | Pts--> |
| 1 | Honda Heat | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 200 | 23 | +177 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 18 | |||||||||||||
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66 | 79 | −13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 63 | 92 | −29 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 31 | 166 | −135 | 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, S1B = Stage 1 Bonus Points, TB = Try bonus points, LB = Losing bonus points, Pts = Log points. |
The standings for the 2017 Top Challenge League Second Stage Group B are:
| 2017 Top Challenge League Second Stage Group B standings | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | S1B | TB | LB | Pts< | -- Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | S1 | TB | LB | Pts--> |
| 5 | Mazda Blue Zoomers | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 113 | 44 | +69 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 15 | |||||||||||||
| 6 | Chugoku Red Regulions | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 95 | 67 | +28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | |||||||||||||
| 7 | Kamaishi Seawaves | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 126 | 55 | +71 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | |||||||||||||
| 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 183 | −168 | 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, S1B = Stage 1 Bonus Points, TB = Try bonus points, LB = Losing bonus points, Pts = Log points. |
At the end of the season, the team placed seventh will play against the regional team placed second for a place in the 2018 Top Challenge League.