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2015–16 Top League

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2015–16 Top League
Panasonic win the Lixil Cup for season 2015–16.
CountriesJapan Japan
Date13 November 2015 – 24 January 2016
ChampionsPanasonic Wild Knights
(4th title)
Runners-upToshiba Brave Lupus
Matches played115
Top point scorerJapan Ayumu Goromaru
(83 pts)

 Yamaha Júbilo
Top try scorerJapan Taiyo Ando
(6 tries)

 Toyota Verblitz
Japan Shota Emi
(6 tries)

 Suntory Sungoliath

The 2015–16 Top League was the 13th season of Japan's domestic rugby union competition, the Top League. It kicked off on 13 November 2015 and was completed on 24 January 2016.[1] The final was won by Panasonic Wild Knights defeating Toshiba Brave Lupus by 27–26.

A short pre-season competition was also played from 3 September to 10 October 2015 to provide each Top League team with five official matches before the regular season.[2][3]

Teams

The only change to the make-up of the league was the Challenge One winner Honda Heat replacing Kyuden Voltex.[4]

Team Region Coach Captain
Canon Eagles Machida, Tokyo, Kantō Japan Yoji Nagatomo
Coca-Cola Red Sparks Fukuoka, Kyushu Japan Tomohiro Yamaguchi Japan Kouta Yamashita
Honda Heat Suzuka, Mie Japan Tomoaki Fujimoto
Kintetsu Liners Higashiosaka, Osaka, Kansai Japan Ryusuke Maeda Japan Daiki Toyota
Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers Kobe, Kansai South Africa Allister Coetzee Japan Daiki Hashimoto
Kubota Spears Abiko, Chiba, Kantō Australia Toutai Kefu Japan Naomichi Tatekawa
NEC Green Rockets Abiko, Chiba, Kantō Japan Masao Amino Japan Sunao Takizawa
NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes Osaka, Kansai Japan Masahiro Shimoki
NTT Shining Arcs Chiba, Chiba, Kantō New Zealand Rob Penney Japan Yuya Mizoguchi
Panasonic Wild Knights Ota, Gunma, Kantō New Zealand Robbie Deans Japan Shota Horie
Ricoh Black Rams Tokyo, Kantō Australia Damien Hill Japan Masahiro Noguchi
Suntory Sungoliath Fuchū, Tokyo, Kantō Australia Andy Friend
Toshiba Brave Lupus Fuchū, Tokyo, Kantō South Africa Jimmy Stonehouse Japan Yoshikazu Morita
Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi, Mizuho Japan Masaya Niu Japan Tsuyoshi Matsuoka
Toyota Verblitz Toyota, Aichi, Tokai Japan Hiroshi Sugawara Japan Kojiro Yoshida
Yamaha Júbilo Iwata, Shizuoka, Tokai Japan Takanobu Horikawa

Format

Owing to the 2015 Rugby World Cup and Japan's entry into the 2016 Super Rugby tournament, the 2015–16 Top League format was altered from the previous year.

Pre-season league

A pre-season competition was staged to provide each Top League team with five matches before the regular season. In the first stage, played from 3–19 September, the 16 teams were placed into 4 pools of 4 teams each and a round-robin was played within each pool.[2][3]

For the second stage, played from 3–10 October, the top teams in each pool were bracketed together to determine the pre-season competition winner. Semifinals and a consolation final and final were played to decide positions 1 to 4. The second-ranked teams in each pool played off for positions 5 to 8, the third-ranked teams played off for positions 9 to 12, and the bottom teams from each pool played off for positions 13 to 16.[2][3]

Regular season

For the Pool stage, the 16 teams were placed into 2 pools of 8 teams each and a round-robin was played within each of the pools. At the conclusion of the pool stage, the top 4 sides in each pool advanced to the title play-offs to determine the Top League champion and the final classification positions 1 to 8. Similarly, the bottom 4 sides in each pool went on to the lower bracket play-offs to determine the final classification positions 9 to 16.

Pre-season

Standings

Pre-season play-offs

Fourth bracket

Template:4TeamBracket-Consolation

Third bracket

Template:4TeamBracket-Consolation

Second bracket

Template:4TeamBracket-Consolation

Notes:

^* Panasonic forfeited their semifinal. NTT Docomo gained the walk over.
^† Panasonic forfeited the 7th place final. Kintetsu gained the walk over.

First bracket

Template:4TeamBracket-Consolation

Regular season

Standings

Top League - Pool Stage
Pool A
Club Played Won Drawn Lost Points For Points Against Points Difference Try Bonus Losing Bonus Points
1 Yamaha Júbilo 7 6 0 1 226 140 +86 5 0 29
2 Kobelco Steelers 7 5 0 2 235 137 +98 5 2 27
3 Toyota Verblitz 7 5 0 2 203 125 +78 5 1 26
4 Canon Eagles 7 5 0 2 196 142 +54 4 1 25
5 Toyota Industries Shuttles 7 3 0 4 175 212 -37 1 0 13
6 NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes 7 2 1 4 141 197 -56 1 1 12
7 NEC Green Rockets 7 1 1 5 100 202 -102 0 1 7
8 Coca-Cola Red Sparks 7 0 0 7 143 264 -121 1 2 3
Updated: 27 December 2015

Source: rugbyarchive.net
 • Teams 1 to 4 (Green background) advance to the title play-offs.
 • Teams 5 to 8 (Blue background) go on to the lower bracket play-offs.

Pool B
Club Played Won Drawn Lost Points For Points Against Points Difference Try Bonus Losing Bonus Points
1 Panasonic Wild Knights 7 6 1 0 290 137 +153 5 0 31
2 Toshiba Brave Lupus 7 5 1 1 253 100 +153 4 0 26
3 Kintetsu Liners 7 5 0 2 189 193 -4 3 0 23
4 NTT Shining Arcs 7 4 0 3 190 142 +48 4 2 22
5 Suntory Sungoliath 7 4 0 3 227 148 +79 4 1 21
6 Kubota Spears 7 2 0 5 118 240 -122 1 1 10
7 Honda Heat 7 1 0 6 99 253 -154 0 1 5
8 Ricoh Black Rams 7 0 0 7 129 282 -153 1 1 2
Updated: 27 December 2015

Source: rugbyarchive.net
 • Teams 1 to 4 (Green background) advance to the title play-offs.
 • Teams 5 to 8 (Blue background) go on to the lower bracket play-offs.

Source: rugbyarchive.net

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).
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
 • Difference between points for and against
 • Total number of points for
 • Number of matches won
 • Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
 • Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled

Pool stage

Round 1

13 November 2015 Panasonic Wild Knights 38–5 Suntory Sungoliath Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium  
19:00 Try: Yamada 6' c, 40' c
Pietersen 51'
Yu 67' c
Con: Barnes (2) 6', 40'
Parker (1) 67'
Pen: Barnes (4) 3', 11', 17', 33' 		Try: Pisi 60' Attendance: 10,792
Referee: Mike Fraser (NZL)
14 November 2015 Ricoh Black Rams 12–39 NTT Shining Arcs Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium  
11:40 Try: Hasegawa 19' c
Kauhenga 64'
Con: Peters (1) 19' 		Try: Miura 28' c
Mafi 46'
Ishibashi 50' c
Mitsui 58' c
Koizumi 77' c
Con: Jantjies (3) 28', 50' 58'
Ogura (1) 77'
Pen: Jantjies (2) 8', 35' 		Attendance: 8,158
14 November 2015 Toshiba Brave Lupus 47–3 Kubota Spears Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium  
14:00 Try: Leitch 7' c
Kahui 31' c, 66' c
Oshima 43' c
Hirose 59'
Kraska 69'
Con: Steyn (3) 7', 31', 43'
Ogawa 66'
Pen: Steyn (3) 12', 25', 49' 		Pen: Moriwaki (1) 23' Attendance: 11,085
14 November 2015 Toyota Industries Shuttles 24–17 NEC Green Rockets Mizuho Rugby Stadium  
11:40 Try: Takada 26' c
Vaka 29' c
Vatuvei 42' c
Con: Hegarty (3) 26', 29', 42'
Pen: Hegarty (1) 69' 		Try: Owada 8' c
Kamaike 32' c
Con: Norton-Knight (1) 8'
Tamura 32'
Pen: Norton-Knight (1) 40' 		Attendance: 5,320
14 November 2015 Toyota Verblitz 11–18 Yamaha Júbilo Mizuho Rugby Stadium  
14:00 Try: Taniguchi 46'
Pen: Monji (2) 26', 57' 		Try: Tuiali'i 4'
Yatomi 8' c
Con: Goromaru (1) 8'
Pen: Goromaru (2) 15', 42' 		Attendance: 8,676
14 November 2015 NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes 23–19 Coca-Cola Red Sparks Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Stadium  
12:00 Try: Shigeno 19'
Watanabe 35'
Paea 43' c
Con: Sato (1) 43'
Pen: Sato (1) 3'
Pollard (1) 58' 		Try: Katsuki 15' c
Osajima 53' c
Yamada 71'
Con: Fukuda (2) 15', 53' 		Attendance: 6,930
Referee: Kyosuke Toda
14 November 2015 Kintetsu Liners 25–12 Honda Heat Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Stadium  
14:05 Try: Spies 11'
Penalty Try 24' c
Taufa 29'
Kim 54'
Con: Shigemitsu (1) 24'
Pen: Shigemitsu (1) 16' 		Try: Lemeki 20' c
Sogeta 63'
Con: Morita (1) 20' 		Attendance: 8,774
15 November 2015 Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers 23–18 Canon Eagles Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium  
13:00 Try: Ellis 6' c
Penalty Try 21' c
Con: Yamanaka (2) 6', 21'
Pen: Yamanaka (3) 49', 61', 66' 		Try: Bond 33'
le Roux 67' c
Con: Mitomo (1) 67'
Pen: Mitomo (2) 38', 42' 		Attendance: 7,863

Round 2

21 November 2015 Ricoh Black Rams 18–24 Honda Heat Yamaguchi Ishin Park Stadium  
11:30 Try: Kauhenga 69' c
Komatsu 79'
Con: Peter (1) 69'
Pen: Peters (2) 9', 54' 		Try: Kamada 3' c
Moto 60' c
Soqeta 65' c
Con: Morita (3) 3', 60', 65'
Drop: Konishi 74' 		Attendance: 4,570
Referee: Kyosuke Toda
21 November 2015 Canon Eagles 34–17 NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes Yamaguchi Ishin Park Stadium  
14:00 Try: Kikutani 24' c
le Roux 40' c
Hashino 49' c
Fukui 76' c
Con: Mitomo (4) 24', 40', 49', 76'
Pen: Mitomo (2) 31', 35' 		Try: Iongi 61' c
Park 80' c
Con: Pollard (2) 61', 80'
Pen: Saiguchi (1) 3' 		Attendance: 5,039
21 November 2015 Suntory Sungoliath 55–14 Kubota Spears Nishikyogoku Athletic Stadium  
11:40 Try: Emi 17', 76' c
Tui 23' c
du Preez 30' c
Nagatomo 46'
Sasaki 58' c
Nagare 61' c
Takemoto 72' c
Con: Pisi (6) 23', 30', 58', 61', 72', 76'
Pen: Pisi (1) 38' 		Try: Otukolo 48' c
Saunders 54' c
Con: Moriwaki (2) 48', 54' 		Attendance: 5,247
21 November 2015 Panasonic Wild Knights 47–27 Kintetsu Liners Nishikyogoku Athletic Stadium  
14:00 Try: Kitagawa 22' c, 42' c
Sasakura 41' c
Holani 54' c
Pietersen 64' c
Con: Barnes (4) 22', 41', 42', 54'
Parker (1) 64'
Pen: Barnes (2) 1', 28'
Parker (2) 68', 79' 		Try: de Allende 18' c
Spies 32' c
Murashita 78' c
Con: Shigemitsu (3) 18', 32', 78'
Pen: Shigemitsu (2) 13', 16' 		Attendance: 7,278
21 November 2015 Yamaha Júbilo 43–0 Toyota Industries Shuttles Yamaha Stadium  
13:00 Try: Piutau 15' c, 76' c
Ito 24' c
Hino 35' c
Potgieter 49' c
Horie 61'
Con: Goromaru (5) 15', 24', 35', 49', 76'
Pen: Goromaru (1) 39' 		Attendance: 9,051
21 November 2015 Coca-Cola Red Sparks 18–35 Toyota Verblitz Level-5 Stadium  
14:00 Try: Toyota 61' c
Yamashita 74'
Con: Fukuda (1) 61'
Pen: Fukuda (2) 3', 31' 		Try: Ando 7' c, 13'
Taumoepeau 20' c
Wada 32'
Hikosaka 48'
Con: Monji (2) 7', 20'
Pen: Monji (2) 68', 80' 		Attendance: 3,725
Referee: Tatsuya Matsuoka
21 November 2015 Toshiba Brave Lupus 13–37 NTT Shining Arcs Kagoshima Kamoike Stadium  
14:00 Try: Yamamoto 14' c
Con: Steyn (1) 14'
Pen: Steyn (2) 31', 42' 		Try: Tsuruya 20' c
Mafi 51' c, 63' c
Tsuruda 70' c
Con: Jantjies (2) 20', 51'
Ogura (2) 63', 70'
Pen: Jantjies (1) 13'
Ogura (2) 57', 67' 		Attendance: 4,911
Referee: Mike Fraser (NZL)
22 November 2015 NEC Green Rockets 12–46 Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers Hitachi Kashiwa Soccer Stadium  
13:00 Try: Tamura 23' c
Usui 64'
Con: Tamura (1) 23' 		Try: Bekker 4'
Anderson 32'
Shomen 37' c
Kizu 51' c
Yamashita 54' c
Taniguchi 60' c
Vakauta 78'
Con: Yamanaka (4) 37', 51' 54', 60'
Drop: Yamanaka (1) 15' 		Attendance: 7,980
Referee: Shinya Kato

Round 3

28 November 2015 Suntory Sungoliath 19–25 Kintetsu Liners Mizuho Rugby Stadium  
11:40 Try: Ono 12' c
Murata 39' c
Tsukamoto 67'
Con: Ono (2) 12', 39' 		Try: Kashimoto 4' c
Spies 7' c
Tanaka 30'
Con: Shigemitsu (2) 4', 7'
Pen: Shigemitsu (2) 15', 71' 		Attendance: 3, 055
Referee: Tomohiro Ogawa
28 November 2015 Toyota Verblitz 45–21 Toyota Industries Shuttles Mizuho Rugby Stadium  
14:00 Try: Ando 6' c
Monji 21' c
Robinson 33' c
Mizuno 36' c
Hikosaka 58' c
Bothma 78' c
Con: Monji (6) 6', 21', 33', 36', 58', 78'
Pen: Monji (1) 14' 		Try: Hegarty 26' c
Saunders 42' c
Vaka 66' c
Con: Hegarty (3) 26', 42', 66' 		Attendance: 6,449
Referee: Shuhei Kubo
28 November 2015 Honda Heat 10–41 Toshiba Brave Lupus Shizuoka Stadium  
11:40 Try: Ubutaka 30'
Nakata 60' 		Try: Yuhara 17' c, 26'
Ogawa 45' c
Kahui 52' c
Steyn 70'
Messam 77' c
Con: Steyn (4) 17', 45', 52', 77'
Pen: Steyn (1) 8' 		Attendance: 7,628
Referee: Tsuyoshi Matsumoto
28 November 2015 Yamaha Júbilo 39–19 NEC Green Rockets Shizuoka Stadium  
14:00 Try: Goromaru 15' c
Havili 49' c
Nakazono 62' c
Hino 71',
Potgieter 76' c
Con: Goromaru (4) 15', 49', 62', 76'
Pen: Goromaru (2) 32', 37' 		Try: Goto 12'
Higginbotham 42' c
Kamaike 67' c
Con: Tamura (2) 42', 67' 		Attendance: 13,051
Referee: Mike Fraser
29 November 2015 Kubota Spears 9–34 NTT Shining Arcs Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium  
11:40 Pen: Moriwaki (3) 26', 33', 51' Try: Penalty Try 63' c
Mafi 66' c
Yamashita 77' c
Jantjies 79' c
Con: Ogura (2) 63', 66'
Jantjies (2) 77', 79'
Pen: Ogura (2) 10', 44' 		Attendance: 5,244
29 November 2015 Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers 24–25 NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium  
14:00 Try: Penalty Try 54' c
Sato 73' c
Anderson 77' c
Con: Tanabe (3) 53', 73', 77'
Pen: Yamanaka (1) 2' 		Try: Watanabe 41' c
Kriel 45' c
Inoue 62' c
Con: Saiguchi (2) 45', 52'
Pen: Saiguchi (2) 6', 16' 		Attendance: 10,833
29 November 2015 Panasonic Wild Knights 59–28 Ricoh Black Rams Ota Athletic Stadium  
13:00 Try: Kitagawa 6' c
McCalman 11' c, 50' c
Heenan 20' c
Valu 59' c
Nishiara 63' c
Hayashi 66' c
Nunomaki 76' c
Con: Miwa (8) 6', 11', 20', 50', 59', 63', 66', 76'
Pen: Miwa (1) 34' 		Try: Kauhenga 16' c, 73' c
Tsujii 42' c
Hoshino 80' c
Con: Foley (4) 16', 42', 73' 80' 		Attendance: 5,756
Referee: Taizo Hirabayashi
29 November 2015 Coca-Cola Red Sparks 25–31 Canon Eagles Ōita Bank Dome  
13:00 Try: Wykes 5'
Tsuiki 51'
Pen: Fukuda (5) 6', 31', 38' 50', 56' 		Try: Penalty Try 18' c
le Roux 58' c
Uematsu 68' c
Suginaga 71' c
Con: Moriya (1) 18'
Mitomo (3) 58', 68', 71'
Pen: Moriya (1) 24' 		Attendance: 5,176
Referee: Kazuhito Taniguchi

Round 4

5 December 2015 Ricoh Black Rams 7–52 Toshiba Brave Lupus Kumagaya Athletic Stadium  
12:00 Try: Yamamoto 60' c
Con: Foley (1) 60' 		Try: Tokunaga 4' c
Yamamoto 9' c
Yuhara 15'
Kajikawa 20' c, 47' c, 67' c
Kahui 26'
Kotaki 30' c
Con: Ogawa (5) 4', 9', 20', 30', 47'
Steyn (1) 67' 		Attendance: 6,372
5 December 2015 NTT Shining Arcs 28–35 Panasonic Wild Knights Kumagaya Athletic Stadium  
14:05 Try: Jantjies 23' c
Kikuchi 62' c
Koizumi 77'
Con: Jantjies (1) 23'
Ogura (1) 62'
Pen: Jantjies (2) 2', 42'
Ogura (1) 80' 		Try: Kitagawa 34' c
Holani 49' c
Sasakura 58'
Horie 65' c
Con: Barnes (3) 34', 49', 65'
Pen: Barnes (3) 8', 15', 27' 		Attendance: 10,009
Referee: Kyosuke Toda
5 December 2015 NEC Green Rockets 15–33 Canon Eagles Kochi Haruno Athletic Stadium  
13:00 Try: Owada 27', 76' c
Con: Webb (1) 76'
Pen: Webb (1) 25' 		Try: Ives 2', 71' c
Moriya 40' c
Fukui 52' c
Fujimoto 80' c
Con: Mitomo (4) 40', 52', 71', 80' 		Attendance: 1,852
6 December 2015 Honda Heat 21–59 Suntory Sungoliath Umakana Yokana Stadium  
11:40 Try: Soqeta 33' c
Konishi 34' c
Coetzee 53' c
Con: Morita (3) 33', 34', 53' 		Try: Makabe 5' c
Emi 12', 78' c
Tui 15' c, 44' c
Murata 19'
Ono 50' c
Tsukamoto 59' c
Pisi 68' c
Con: Ono (7) 5', 15', 44', 50', 59', 68', 78' 		Attendance: 14,133
Referee: Shuhei Kubo
6 December 2015 Coca-Cola Red Sparks 28–38 Yamaha Júbilo Umakana Yokana Stadium  
14:00 Try: Yamamoto 12' c
Sarugaku 32' c
Matsuoka 55' c
Suzuki 70' c
Con: Fukuda (4) 12', 32', 55', 70' 		Try: Ohdo 5' c, 29' c
Hino 18' c, 23' c
Piutau 37' c
Con: Goromaru (5) 5', 18', 23', 29', 37'
Drop: Otao (1) 74' 		Attendance: 18,005
Referee: Tomohiro Ogawa
6 December 2015 NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes 14–36 Toyota Verblitz Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Stadium  
12:00 Try: Saiguchi 22' c
Paea 63' c
Con: Pollard (1) 22'
Saiguchi (1) 63' 		Try: Wada 2' c, 39' c, 50'
Ando 12' c
Sugimoto 46' c
Con: Monji (4) 2', 12', 39', 46'
Pen: Monji (1) 20' 		Attendance: 8,975
Referee: Shinya Kato
6 December 2015 Kubota Spears 17–40 Kintetsu Liners Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Stadium  
14:05 Try: Takahashi 68' c
Tomonaga 73' c
Con: Tatekawa (1) 68'
Takahashi (1) 73'
Pen: Moriwaki (1) 22' 		Try: Kim 7' c
Tanaka 26' c, 75'
Taufa 37' c, 49' c
Tadanobu 54' c
Con: Shigemitsu (5) 7', 26', 37', 49', 54' 		Attendance: 11,404
6 December 2015 Toyota Industries Shuttles 12–27 Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers Ningineer Stadium  
13:00 Try: So 15' c
Yamashita 35'
Con: Yamashita (1) 15' 		Try: Hashimoto 23'
Anderson 42'
Maekawa 46' c
Fourie 57' c
Con: Yamanaka (2) 46', 57'
Pen: Yamanaka (1) 63' 		Attendance: 3,370
Referee: Tatsuya Matsuoka

Round 5

12 December 2015 NTT Shining Arcs 5–38 Suntory Sungoliath Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium  
11:40 Try: Britz 53' Try: Murata 6' c
Aruga 28' c
Burger 35' c
Emi 40' c
Pisi 79' c
Con: Ono (5) 6', 28', 35', 40', 79'
Pen: Ono (1) 21' 		Attendance: 16,025
12 December 2015 Toshiba Brave Lupus 17–17 Panasonic Wild Knights Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium  
14:00 Try: Yamamoto 26' c, 77' c
Con: Ogawa (1) 26'
Steyn (1) 77'
Pen: Steyn (1) 10' 		Try: Kodama 4' c
Penalty Try 61' c
Con: Barnes (2) 4', 61'
Pen: Barnes (1) 40' 		Attendance: 20,138
Referee: Taizo Hirabayashi
12 December 2015 Honda Heat 12–17 Kubota Spears Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Stadium  
12:00 Try: Nakata 20' c
Konishi 29'
Con: Morita (1) 20' 		Try: Otukolo 1' c
Penalty Try 52' c
Con: Moriwaki (1) 1'
Takahashi (1) 52'
Pen: Talkahashi (1) 53' 		Attendance: 5,050
12 December 2015 Kintetsu Liners 40–22 Ricoh Black Rams Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Stadium  
14:05 Try: Toyoda 1', 72' c
Taufa 13', 66' c
Winterstein 42' c
Con: Shigemitsu (3) 42', 66', 72'
Pen: Shigemitsu (3) 25', 40', 52' 		Try: Hoshino 16' c
Nanai-Williams 54' c
Kauhenga 78'
Con: Foley (1) 16'
Peters (1) 54'
Pen: Foley (1) 7' 		Attendance: 6,355
12 December 2015 Toyota Verblitz 34–3 NEC Green Rockets Toyota Stadium  
13:00 Try: Thomas 50' c, 64' c
Ando 58' c, 73' c
Con: Monji (4) 50', 58', 64', 73'
Pen: Monji (2) 24', 43' 		Pen: Webb (1) 7' Attendance: 7,352
Referee: Sam Grove-White (Sco)
12 December 2015 Yamaha Júbilo 41–20 NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes Yamaha Stadium  
13:00 Try: Horie 23' c
Sa'u 46' c
Yatomi 55' c
Penalty Try 66' c
Hino 69'
Helo 74'
Con: Goromaru (4) 23', 46', 55', 66'
Pen: Goromaru (1) 10' 		Try: Sato 7' c
Tsujii 80' c
Con: Saiguchi (1) 7'
Pollard (1) 80'
Pen: Saiguchi (1) 3'
Drop: Paea (1) 40' 		Attendance: 9,710
Referee: Tatsuya Matsuoka
12 December 2015 Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers 47–24 Coca-Cola Red Sparks Misaki Park Stadium  
13:00 Try: Taniguchi 8' c
Shomen 27' c
Ellis 30' c
Wing 46'
Maekawa 52' c
Kizu 55' c
Anderson 79' c
Con: Tanabe (6) 8', 27', 30', 52', 55', 79' 		Try: Kuwazuru 9' c
Kawaguchi 41' c
Yamada 68' c
Con: Fukuda (1) 9'
Lafaele (2) 41', 68'
Pen: Fukuda (1) 34' 		Attendance: 7,381
Referee: Akihisa Kajiwara
13 December 2015 Toyota Industries Shuttles 19–35 Canon Eagles Gifu Nagaragawa Stadium  
13:00 Try: Asami 32'
Matsui 56' c
Penalty Try 79' c
Con: Hegarty (1) 56'
Gerrard (1) 79' 		Try: Hashino 41' c
Thomson 44' c
Moriya 51' c
le Roux 64' c
Suginaga 80' c
Con: Moriya (5) 41', 44', 51', 64', 80' 		Attendance: 2,160
Referee: Shuhei Kubo

Round 6

19 December 2015 NEC Green Rockets 20–12 Coca-Cola Red Sparks Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium  
11:40 Try: Shigeno 14' c
Goto 77' c
Con: Tamura (2) 14'. 77'
Pen: Tamura (2) 56', 64' 		Try: Bateman 3' c
Toyota 70'
Con: Fukuda (1) 3' 		Attendance: 5,963
19 December 2015 NTT Shining Arcs 29–15 Honda Heat Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium  
14:00 Try: Bin 9' c
Mafi 56' c
Mayahara 63'
Jantjies 74' c
Con: Ogura (2) 9', 56'
Jantjies (1) 74'
Pen: Ogura (1) 2' 		Try: Coetzee 39' c
Ubutaka 48'
Con: Lemeki (1) 39'
Pen: Konishi (1) 26' 		Attendance: 9,242
Referee: Akihisa Kajiwara
19 December 2015 Canon Eagles 26–10 Toyota Verblitz Machida Athletic Stadium  
13:00 Try: Morita 38' c, 52'
Fujichika 55'
Con: Harada (1) 38'
Pen: Harada (3) 3', 9', 13' 		Try: Thomas 34' c
Con: Monji (1) 34'
Pen: Monji (1) 17' 		Attendance: 2,670
Referee: Taku Otsuki
19 December 2015 Yamaha Júbilo 14–43 Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers Yamaha Stadium  
13:00 Try: Piutau 68' c
Horie 77' c
Con: Goromaru (2) 68', 77' 		Try: Anderson 16' c
Ohashi 20', 41', 47', 57' c
Ellis 36' c
Minamihashi 73' c
Con: Yamanaka (3) 16'. 36', 57'
Tanabe (1) 73' 		Attendance: 12,842
Referee: Shuhei Kubo
20 December 2015 Kubota Spears 27–30 Panasonic Wild Knights Fukuda Denshi Arena  
13:00 Try: Finau 2' c
Miyata 9' c
Saunders 40' c
Con: Moriwaki (3) 2', 9', 40'
Pen: Moriwaki (2) 32', 43' 		Try: McCalman 49' c
Heenan 54' c
Pietersen 67' c
Con: Barnes (3) 49', 54', 67'
Pen: Miwa (3) 6', 13', 24' 		Attendance: 4,889
Referee: Sam Groves-White (Sco)
20 December 2015 Suntory Sungoliath 37–20 Ricoh Black Rams Yamanashi Chuo Bank Stadium  
13:00 Try: Tui 28' c, 62'
Moriwaka 55'
Emi 59' c
Kakinaga 80' c
Con: Pisi (2) 28', 59'
Ono (1) 80'
Pen: Pisi (1) 34'
Ono (1) 75' 		Try: Hasegawa 16' c
Bourke 66' c
Con: Foley (1) 16'
Peters (1) 66'
Pen: Foley (1) 39'
Peters (1) 52' 		Attendance: 3,899
Referee: Takashi Harada
20 December 2015 Kintetsu Liners 12–58 Toshiba Brave Lupus Konoike Athletic Stadium  
13:00 Try: Penalty Try 36' c
Taylor 54'
Con: Tadanobu (1) 36' 		Try: Kahui 5' c
Yamamoto 13'
Toyoshima 24', 41'
Yuhara 28' c
Steyn 31' c
Kotaki 49' c
Ogawa 69' c
Ito 74'
Con: Ogawa (5) 5', 28', 31', 49', 69'
Pen: Ogawa (1) 18' 		Attendance: 6,156
Referee: Akihisa Aso
20 December 2015 NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes 28–29 Toyota Industries Shuttles Miyazaki Athletic Stadium  
13:00 Try: Hirase 8' c
Ierome 54' c
Shigeno 60' c
Eto 63'
Con: Sato (1) 8'
Pollard (3) 54', 60', 63' 		Try: Takada 38' c
Vatuvei 77' c
Con: Gerrard (2) 38', 77'
Pen: Gerrard (5) 6', 18', 20', 51', 57' 		Attendance: 3,975
Referee: Taizo Hirabayashi

Round 7

26 December 2015 Canon Eagles 19–33 Yamaha Júbilo Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium  
11:40 Try: Harada 4'
Hashino 14' c
Usami 77' c
Con: Mitomo (1) 14'
Harada (1) 77' 		Try: Havili 11' c, 68'
Ito 17' c
Goromaru 43'
Con: Goromaru (2) 11', 17'
Pen: Goromaru (3) 25', 47', 56' 		Attendance: 22,843
Referee: Shinya Kato
26 December 2015 Suntory Sungoliath 14–25 Toshiba Brave Lupus Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium  
14:00 Try: Ono 23' c
Nagatomo 80' c
Con: Ono (1) 23'
Pisi (1) 80' 		Try: Oshima 8' c
Penalty Try 18' c
Masuda 36'
Con: Ogawa (2) 8', 18'
Pen: Ogawa (2) 3', 32' 		Attendance: 25,164
Referee: Shuhei Kubo
26 December 2015 Toyota Industries Shuttles 70–17 Coca-Cola Red Sparks Mizuho Rugby Stadium  
11:40 Try: Vatuvei 18' c
Vaka 33' c, 51' c
Saunders 46' c, 60' c
So 56' c
Takada 64'
Asami 68' c
Takeuchi 73' c
Con: Gerrard (6) 18', 33', 45', 51', 56', 60'
Hegarty (2) 68', 73'
Pen: Gerrard (2) 40', 41'
Hegarty (1) 80' 		Try: Katsuki 10' c
Tsuiki 79' c
Con: Lafaele (2) 10', 79'
Pen: Lafaele (1) 31' 		Attendance: 3,277
Referee: Takashi Harada
26 December 2015 Kintetsu Liners 20–18 NTT Shining Arcs Mizuho Rugby Stadium  
14:00 Try: Tadanobu 35' c, 70' c
Con: Shigemitsu (2) 35', 70'
Pen: Shigemitsu (2) 17', 64' 		Try: Suto 23' c
Kin 28'
Con: Jantjies (1) 23'
Pen: Jantjies (2) 38', 47' 		Attendance: 4,275
26 December 2015 Kubota Spears 31–22 Ricoh Black Rams Kincho Stadium  
11:40 Try: Finau 36' c
Miyata 45' c, 80' c
Shibahara 51' c
Con: Moriwaki (3) 36', 45', 51'
Takahashi (1) 80'
Pen: Moriwaki (1) 6' 		Try: Bourke 9' c
Tsujii 13' c
Hasegawa 20'
Con: Foley (2) 9', 13'
Pen: Peters (1) 33' 		Attendance: 2,539
Referee: Akihisa Aso
26 December 2015 NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes 14–14 NEC Green Rockets Kincho Stadium  
14:00 Try: Paea 9' c
Kriel 77' c
Con: Pollard (1) 9'
Paea (1) 77' 		Try: Kamaike 46'
Pen: Morita (3) 25', 36', 59' 		Attendance: 5,466
Referee: Kyosuke Toda
26 December 2015 Panasonic Wild Knights 64–5 Honda Heat Ota Athletic Stadium  
13:00 Try: Yu 3' c
Kodama 12' c
Tanaka 17' c
Hayashi 25' c, 72'
Heenan 38' c
McCalman 51' c, 60' c
Parker 80' c
Con: Barnes (5) 3', 12', 17', 25', 38'
Miwa (3) 51', 60', 80'
Pen: Barnes (1) 7' 		Try: Lemeki 67' Attendance: 5,284
Referee: Taku Otsuki
26 December 2015 Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers 25–32 Toyota Verblitz Misaki Park Stadium  
13:00 Try: Maekawa (2) 39', 62'
Wing 48' c
Ohashi 65'
Con: Tanabe (1) 48'
Pen: Yamanaka (1) 3' 		Try: Yates 19' c
Matsushita 25' c
Wada 51'
Hikosaka 75' c
Con: Monji (3) 19', 25', 75'
Pen: Monji (2) 17', 72' 		Attendance: 9,159
Referee: Taizo Hirabayashi

Lower bracket play-offs

 
Lower quarterfinals9th to 12th bracketNinth place
 
          
 
9 January 2016 – 14:00 – Match 4
 
 
NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes
 
16 January 2016 – 14:05 – Match 8
 
Honda Heat
 
Winner Match 4
 
9 January 2016 – 11:40 – Match 1
 
Winner Match 1
 
Coca-Cola Red Sparks
 
23 January 2016 – 14:00
 
Suntory Sungoliath
 
Winner Match 8
 
9 January 2016 – 14:00 – Match 2
 
Winner Match 7
 
Toyota Industries Shuttles
 
16 January 2016 – 14:00 – Match 7
 
Ricoh Black Rams
 
Winner Match 2
 
9 January 2016 – 11:40 – Match 3
 
Winner Match 3Eleventh place
 
NEC Green Rockets
 
23 January 2016 – 12:00
 
Kubota Spears
 
Loser Match 8
 
 
Loser Match 7
 
 
13th to 16th bracketThirteenth place
 
      
 
16 January 2016 – 11:40 – Match 5
 
 
Loser Match 2
 
23 January 2016 – 14:00
 
Loser Match 3
 
Winner Match 5
 
16 January 2016 – 12:00 – Match 6
 
Winner Match 6
 
Loser Match 4
 
 
Loser Match 1
 
Fifteenth place
 
 
23 January 2016 – 11:40
 
 
Loser Match 5
 
 
Loser Match 6

Lower quarterfinals

Match 1 9 January 2016 Coca-Cola Red Sparks – Suntory Sungoliath Chichibunomiya  
11:40
Match 2 9 January 2016 Toyota Industries Shuttles – Ricoh Black Rams Chichibunomiya  
14:00
Match 3 9 January 2016 NEC Green Rockets – Kubota Spears Komazawa Stadium  
11:40
Match 4 9 January 2016 NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes – Honda Heat Komazawa Stadium  
14:00

Play-offs 9th–12th and 13th–16th

Match 5 16 January 2016 Loser Match 2 – Loser Match 3  
11:40
Match 6 16 January 2016 Loser Match 4 – Loser Match 1  
12:00
Match 7 16 January 2016 Winner Match 2 – Winner Match 3  
14:00
Match 8 16 January 2016 Winner Match 4 – Winner Match 1  
14:05

Classification finals

15th place 23 January 2016 Loser Match 5 – Loser Match 6  
11:40
13th place 23 January 2016 Winner Match 5 – Winner Match 6  
14:00
11th place 23 January 2016 Loser Match 8 – Loser Match 7  
12:00
9th place 23 January 2016 Winner Match 8 – Winner Match 7  
14:05

Title play-offs

 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
9 January 2016 – 13:00 – Match 4
 
 
Yamaha Júbilo
 
16 January 2016 – 14:00 – Match 7
 
NTT Shining Arcs
 
Winner of Match 4
 
9 January 2016 – 14:00 – Match 1
 
Winner of Match 1
 
Toyota Verblitz
 
24 January 2016 – 14:00 – Chichibunomiya
 
Toshiba Brave Lupus
 
Winner of Match 7
 
9 January 2016 – 11:40 – Match 2
 
Winner of Match 8
 
Kobelco Steelers
 
16 January 2016 – 14:05 – Match 8
 
Kintetsu Liners
 
Winner of Match 2
 
9 January 2016 – 13:00 – Match 3
 
Winner of Match 3Third place
 
Canon Eagles
 
24 January 2016 – 11:40 – Chichibunomiya
 
Panasonic Wild Knights
 
Loser of Match 7
 
 
Loser of Match 8
 
 
5th to 8th bracketFifth place
 
      
 
16 January 2016 – 11:40 – Match 5
 
 
Loser of Match 4
 
23 January 2016 – 14:00
 
Loser of Match 1
 
Winner of Match 5
 
16 January 2016 – 12:00 – Match 6
 
Winner of Match 6
 
Loser of Match 2
 
 
Loser of Match 3
 
Seventh place
 
 
23 January 2016 – 11:40
 
 
Loser of Match 5
 
 
Loser of Match 6

Quarterfinals

Match 1 9 January 2016 Toyota Verblitz – Toshiba Brave Lupus Mizuho Stadium  
11:40
Match 2 9 January 2016 Kobelco Steelers – Kintetsu Liners Mizuho Stadium  
14:00
Match 3 9 January 2016 Canon Eagles – Panasonic Wild Knights Kincho Stadium  
13:00
Match 4 9 January 2016 Yamaha Júbilo – NTT Shining Arcs Nippatsu Stadium  
13:00

Semifinals and play-offs 5th–8th

Match 5 16 January 2016 Loser Match 4 – Loser Match 1  
11:40
Match 6 16 January 2016 Loser Match 2 – Loser Match 3  
12:00
Match 7 – Semifinal 16 January 2016 Winner Match 4 – Winner Match 1  
14:00
Match 8 – Semifinal 16 January 2016 Winner Match 2 – Winner Match 3  
14:05

Classification finals

7th place 23 January 2016 Loser Match 5 – Loser Match 6  
11:40
5th place 23 January 2016 Winner Match 5 – Winner Match 6  
14:00
3rd place 24 January 2016 Loser Match 7 – Loser Match 8  
11:40

Final

24 January 2015 Winner Match 7 – Winner Match 8 Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Tokyo  
14:00

All-Japan qualification

The 2016 All-Japan Rugby Football Championship took place as a one-off final match played between the respective winners of the Japanese Top League competition and the All-Japan University Rugby Championship. The match will be played at the Chichibunomiya Stadium in Tokyo on 31 January 2016.[5]

The abbreviated format was chosen due to the busy schedule for Japanese Rugby which included the 2015 Rugby World Cup as well as Asian qualification for the 2016 Olympics and the introduction of a Japanese Super Rugby team.[5]

Challenge series

Challenge 2

The second-placed regional teams from East Japan, West Japan, and Kyushu played each other in a round-robin tournament for the right to join Challenge 1.

Challenge 1

The top-placed regional teams from East Japan, West Japan, and Kyushu were joined by the Challenge 2 winner to play each other in a round-robin tournament to gain promotion to the Top League for the following season.

Promotion and relegation play-offs

End of season awards

Team of the season

# Winner Team
1. Japan Keita Inagaki Panasonic Wild Knights
2. Japan Shota Horie Panasonic Wild Knights
3. Japan Takuma Asahara Toshiba Brave Lupus
4. South Africa Andries Bekker Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers
5. Australia Daniel Heenan Panasonic Wild Knights
6. Japan Michael Leitch Canon Eagles
7. Japan Shokei Kin NTT Shining Arcs
8. Japan Amanaki Lelei Mafi NTT Shining Arcs
9. Japan Fumiaki Tanaka Panasonic Wild Knights
10. Australia Berrick Barnes Panasonic Wild Knights
11. Japan Shota Emi Suntory Sungoliath
12. New Zealand Richard Kahui Toshiba Brave Lupus
13. South Africa JP Pietersen Panasonic Wild Knights
14. Japan Tomoki Kitagawa Panasonic Wild Knights
15. Japan Ayumu Goromaru Yamaha Júbilo

References

  1. ^ "Top League Schedule 2015-16 Season". Rugby News Japan. 29 May 2015. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b c "Japan - Pre Season League 2015/16". Rugby Archive. 2015. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b c "Japan Rugby Top League pre-season league". Suntory. 2015. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "Top League trio retain status". jrfu.org. 14 February 2015. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ a b Hinato (21 May 2015). "The final of the All Japan Championship 31 January". Japon Rugby (in French). Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 6 July 2015 suggested (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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