2018 Top Challenge League


The 2018 Top Challenge League was the second season of Japan's second-tier domestic rugby union competition, the Top Challenge League.
It was played from 8 September to 9 December 2018, with eight participating teams. NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes won the competition for the third time – having previously won in 2010–11 and 2016–17 and qualified for the [|promotion play-offs], along with Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars, Kintetsu Liners and Kurita Water Gush. Kamaishi Seawaves and Chugoku Red Regulions finished seventh and eighth respectively to qualify for the [|relegation play-offs].

Competition rules

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 four teams that competed in Group A progressed to promotion play-offs against the bottom four teams in the 2018–19 Top League.
The two team that finished bottom and second-bottom of Group B progressed to the relegation play-offs, along with the winners and the runners-up of the Regional Challenge, held between the champions of the :ja:トップイーストリーグ|Top East League, :ja:トップウェスト|Top West League and :ja:トップキュウシュウ|Top Kyūshū League.

Teams

The following teams took part in the 2018 Top Challenge League competition:

First Stage

Standings

The current standings for the 2018 Top Challenge League First Stage are:

Matches

The 2018 Top Challenge League First Stage fixtures are:

Round One

Round Two

Round Three

Round Four

Round Five

Round Six

Round Seven

Second Stage Group A

Standings

The standings for the 2018 Top Challenge League Second Stage Group A are:

Round One

Round Two

Round Three

Second Stage Group B

Standings

The standings for the 2018 Top Challenge League Second Stage Group B are:

Round One

Round Two

Round Three

Relegation play-offs

The matches played were: