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25-806: Verblitz (surprisingly given the team's pedigree) failed to make the cut for the first season of the Top League (2003-4) but entered the Top League in the second season and were a contender for the second Microsoft Cup . They lost the Japan Championship final on February 27, 2005, to NEC Green Rockets 13–17. The Toyota Verblitz squad for the 2024-25 season is: Props Hookers Locks Flankers No8s Scrum-halves Fly-halves Centres Wingers Fullbacks Top League Japan Rugby League One ( Japanese : ジャパンラグビーリーグワン , romanized :  Japanragubīrīguwan ), formerly known as

50-479: A major IRB award, played in a Rugby World Cup, played for a combined-nations touring side, or captained their national team. Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium ( 秩父宮ラグビー場 , Chichibunomiya Ragubī-jō ) (also called Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium) is a rugby union stadium located in the Aoyama district of central Tokyo , Japan . It is the spiritual home of Japanese rugby union and

75-416: A professional level which would allow Japan to compete more convincingly at Rugby World Cups. Until 2022, it was an industrial league, where many players were employees of their company and the teams were all owned by major companies. While the competition was known for paying high salaries, only world-class foreign players and a small number of Japanese players played fully professionally, which meant most of

100-529: The Japan Sevens , a newly created event on the circuit for men's national rugby sevens teams now known as the World Rugby Sevens Series . When inaugurated, the tournament was the seventh on the circuit schedule, and was held in late March/early April. After the 2014–15 series, Japan was removed from the schedule in favor of a return to former series host Singapore . From 2016, it has been used as

125-588: The Top League ( Japanese : トップリーグ , romanized :  Toppurīgu ), is a rugby union competition in Japan. It is the highest level of professional rugby competition in the country. The Japan Rugby Football Union created the competition in 2003, by absorbing the Japan Company Rugby Football Championship . The chief architect of the league was Hiroaki Shukuzawa who strongly felt the urgency of improving Japanese domestic company rugby to

150-501: The Top Challenge series. Kyuden and Sanix retained their places in Top League when they won their respective promotion and relegation play-offs. The following teams were in the league: Kintetsu Liners returned to the league, and Yokogawa Denki were promoted for the first time (and renamed Yokogawa Musashino Atlastars in the off season). They replaced Ricoh Black Rams and Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars . The following teams were in

175-431: The Top Challenge series. The following teams were in the league: The top 4 sides (Toshiba, Sanyo, Toyota and Suntory) from the regular season competed in a knock out tournament to fight for the Top League title. In the final, Sanyo defeated Suntory 28–23. IBM Big Blue and Yokogawa Atlastars were automatically relegated at the completion of the 2008–9 season for finishing 13th and 14th. Ricoh and Honda won promotion through

200-589: The Top League teams ranked 5th and 8th (Kintetsu Liners and Yamaha Jubilo) played each other at Hanazono, Osaka , as did the teams ranked 6th and 7th (Kobe Steelers and Ricoh Black Rams), with the winners (Kobe and Yamaha) also qualifying for the All-Japan Rugby Football Championship. Honda Heat and Kyuden Voltex were automatically relegated at the completion of the 2009–10 season for finishing 13th and 14th. Toyota Industries Shuttles and NTT Communications Shining Arcs won promotion through

225-492: The Top League, notably Tony Brown , George Gregan and Dan Carter . In the 2010s, salaries in the Top League rose to become some of the highest in the rugby world ; in 2012, South Africa's Jaque Fourie , now with Kobelco Steelers , was widely reported to be the world's highest-paid player. The 2023-24 format for the Japanese club system is divided into three divisions. The league consists of 12 teams based in various cities in

250-413: The country. A second-tier Top League Challenge Series was also introduced in 2003. Between 2003–04 and 2016–17, teams from three regional leagues would qualify to this post-season competition, in which they could either win promotion to the next season's Top League, or qualify to promotion play-off matches. In 2017, a second-tier Top Challenge League was introduced, to operate in a league format above

275-444: The first Top League game of the 2007–8 season between Suntory Sungoliath and Toshiba Brave Lupus , also played under lights and won 10–3 by the former on October 26, 2008. Originally completed in 1947, it was at first called Tokyo Rugby Stadium. In 1953 the name was changed to Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium. The stadium also served as a venue for football matches in the 1964 Summer Olympics . The name Chichibunomiya commemorates

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300-486: The headquarters of the Japan Rugby Football Union . Named for Prince Chichibu , the late brother of Emperor Hirohito , the venue is used mostly for rugby sevens and rugby union matches. Redevelopment plans call for the stadium and the adjacent Meiji Jingu Stadium , used for baseball, to be demolished and replaced with new facilities. The stadium currently can accommodate 27,188 spectators, but only part of

325-651: The home ground for the Sunwolves Super Rugby team , along with Singapore National Stadium . In 2018, the stadium was used for Nogizaka46 6th Year Birthday Live, they also use Meiji Jingu Stadium who placed beside this stadium simultaneously. All the members run back to back each stadium while performing. In 2019, the Meiji Jingu Gaien, the Japan Sports Council, Mitsui Fudosan and Itochu Corp. groups agreed to redevelop both Meiji Jingu Stadium and

350-457: The league: Kyuden Voltex and Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars joined the league for the first time. The following 14 teams were in the Top League in the 2007–08 season: The top four teams (Sanyo, Suntory, Toyota and Toshiba) played in the fifth Microsoft Cup to decide the league champion. Suntory beat Sanyo 14–10 in the final to become the 2007–08 champions. Mitsubishi (14th) and Ricoh (13th) were automatically relegated. The number of teams

375-463: The league: The top 4 sides of the regular season (Suntory, Toshiba, Sanyo, and NEC) competed in the 2012 Top League Champions Cup knock-out tournament for the Top League title at Chichibu , Tokyo. Suntory defeated Sanyo 47–28 in the final to win the title. Both teams met again a few weeks later in the final of the 49th All-Japan Rugby Football Championship . Additionally, in the Wildcard play-offs ,

400-538: The players still played in an amateur capacity. The delayed 2021 season was the final season of the Top League, with the JRFU adopting a new fully-professional three-tier system from 2022. More details about the new structure was announced to the media in January 2021. Featuring 25 teams, the 12 top-tier clubs would be split into two conferences, with seven teams competing in division two and six in division three. The new competition

425-488: The regional leagues. The regional leagues are: With the creation of Rugby League One and its three divisions, the raison d'etre for the Top Challenge League ceased to exist, and it was discontinued. NTT Shining Arcs and Yamaha Jubilo which won their 2005 promotion/relegation play-offs ( Irekaesen ) against Canon Eagles and Kyuden Voltex to retain their places for the 2011–12 season. The following teams were in

450-513: The regular season. Coca-Cola West Japan (now Coca-Cola West Red Sparks) gained promotion to the League at the end of the season. IBM also gained promotion to return to the league. Following the 2004 Challenge series with IBM and Toyota being promoted, the following 12 teams competed in the second season: Toshiba won both the league round-robin and the Microsoft Cup knockout competition contested by

475-427: The round-robin competition. The top eight teams qualified for the inaugural Microsoft Cup . Toshiba went on to lose the final of Microsoft Cup to NEC, but the cup was considered a separate competition to the Top League prior to 2007. Secom and Sanix were relegated at the end of the season. IBM and Toyota were promoted. The following foreign players that have played in the Top League have either won or been nominated for

500-402: The sporting prince, Prince Chichibu , who was not a rugby union player but was passionately fond of the sport and died in 1953. A statue of the prince in a rugby uniform was erected at the stadium. On February 3, 2008, snow prevented two Top League games being played in the 13th and final round of the fifth season. They were postponed to February 9. From 2012 through 2015, the stadium hosted

525-557: The stands are covered. A large electronic scoreboard was added to the grounds as a step toward modernization before the fifth Rugby World Cup in 2003. On April 19, 2007, it was announced that the stadium was to be equipped with lights for night games by the end of July, to assist with the RWC 2015 bid. The first rugby game under lights was Japan v Asian Barbarians in August 2007, the send-off for Japan going to RWC 2007. Since then it has been used for

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550-466: The third team from Kyushu to enter the league, and Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars from Kanto. After the pre-season 2005 Challenge series , Secom and Sanix returned after a year out of the league, replacing Kintetsu and IBM. The following 12 teams competed in the third season: Toshiba again won both the league round-robin and the Microsoft Cup knockout competition contested by the top 8 teams after

575-400: The top 8 teams after the regular season. The eleventh and twelfth teams (Kintetsu and IBM) were automatically relegated, and the ninth and tenth placed teams (World and Ricoh) had to win their 2005 promotion and relegation play-offs ( Irekaesen ) to stay in the Top League, which they did. The first season began with 12 teams: Toshiba won the inaugural Top League title by finishing on top of

600-534: Was formally announced as Japan Rugby League One in July 2021. The first season in 2003–04 featured 12 teams. The league was expanded to 14 teams in 2006–07 and 16 teams in 2013–14. While Japan Rugby League One's season overlaps with the start of Super Rugby's season, the Top League played during the off-season of the Super Rugby . Therefore, many full-time foreign professionals from Southern Hemisphere countries played in

625-546: Was increased from 12 to 14. Coca-Cola West Red Sparks became the second Kyushu-based team in the Top League. IBM returned to the league. The top four teams in the league played in the Microsoft Cup which was officially integrated into the league from this season as the "Top League Play-off Tournament Microsoft Cup". Toshiba won the cup and also won the All-Japan Championship . Secom and World (13th and 14th) were automatically relegated, to be replaced by Kyuden Voltex ,

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