2022–23 División de Honor de Rugby
| 2022–23 División de Honor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Countries |  Spain |
| Date | 2 October 2022 |
The 2022–23 División de Honor was the 56th season of the División de Honor, the top flight of Spanish domestic rugby union.
Competition format
The season takes place between October and May.
Points are awarded as follows:
- 4 points for a win
- 2 points for a draw
- 1 bonus point is awarded to a team scoring 4 tries or more in a match
- 1 bonus point is awarded to a team that loses a match by 7 points or fewer
Each team plays twelve games - one game against each opponent. Then the league divides into two groups and the teams play the other members once more.[1]
As before, eight teams will progress through to the playoffs, although there will be a playoff between the top two teams in Group B. [2]
As the division has an extra team, two teams will be automatically relegated (instead of one) and the team finishing eleventh will contest a playoff against the runner-up from the División B playoffs.
The division is made up of thirteen teams this season instead of the usual twelve after controversy during the 2021-22 season.
La Vila and Gernika finished eleventh and twelfth in 2021-22, but Alcobendas were automatically relegated for fielding an ineligible player. This earned La Vila a reprieve from relegation. Initially, Gernika were set to be relegated, but they argued that Alcobendas' point reduction meant the Madrid side technically finished bottom, and that they were therefore denied their rightful opportunity to play off against the runner-up from the Division B playoffs, Belenos RC.
The Spanish Rugby Federation ruled that denying either team - Gernika or Belenos - a place in the top flight would be unfair.[3]
Promotion and relegation
The second-tier División de Honor B is made up of three regional groups. The top eight teams across the three groups play off; the champion is promoted to División de Honor, at the expense of the team which finishes last in the División de Honor.
The runner-up plays a further playoff against the team which finishes 11th in the top flight.[4]
Teams
Alcobendas were relegated while Pozuelo and Belenos RC were promoted. Gernika were given a reprieve despite finishing bottom of the table last year, meaning the division grew to 13 members.
El Salvador
| Team | Stadium | Capacity | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aparejadores | San Amaro | 1,500 | Burgos, Castile and León |
| Ciencias | Instalaciones Deportivas La Cartuja | 1,932 | Seville, Andalusia |
| Complutense Cisneros | Estadio Complutense | 12,400 | Madrid, Madrid |
| El Salvador | Pepe Rojo | 5,000 | Valladolid, Castile and León |
| FC Barcelona | La Teixonera | 500 | Barcelona, Catalonia |
| Gernika RT | Urbieta zelaia | 1,000 | Gernika |
| La Vila | Campo de Rugby El Pantano | 3,000 | Villajoyosa, Valencia |
| Les Abelles | Polideportivo Quatre Carreres | 500 | Valencia, Valencia |
| Ordizia | Altamira | 500 | Ordizia, Basque Country |
| Belenos RC | Estadio Santa Bárbara | 5,000 | Avilés, Asturias |
| Pozuelo | Valle de las Cañas | 500 | Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid |
| Santboiana | Baldiri Aleu | 4,000 | Sant Boi de Llobregat, Catalonia |
| Valladolid | Pepe Rojo | 5,000 | Valladolid, Castile and León |
Copa del Rey
The twelve teams were divided into four groups of three.[5] The winner of each group proceeded to the semifinals of the cup, which were one-legged ties.
The draw for the cup groups was restricted to ensure that teams are in the same group as well. This enabled specified league games to also count as cup group games.
Group A: Santboiana, Complutense Cisneros, El Salvador
Group B: Ciencias, Valladolid, Pozuelo
Group C: Barcelona, Belenos RC, La Vila
Group D: Ordizia, Les Abelles, Aparejadores
References
- ^ "La División de Honor de rugby cambia de formato". AS.com (in Spanish). 7 July 2021.
- ^ "La División de Honor de rugby arrancará con 13 equipos y cambio de formato". sport.es (in Spanish). 28 September 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help); Text "https://www.sport.es/es/noticias/rugby/division-honor-rugby-arrancara-13-76044735" ignored (help) - ^ Press, Europa (2022-09-10). "La FER incoa expediente sancionador al Alcobendas Rugby y propone su descenso y fuertes multas". www.europapress.es. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
- ^ "NORMAS QUE REGIRÁN EL LII CAMPEONATO DE LIGA NACIONAL DE DIVISIÓN DE HONOR B MASCULINA EN LA TEMPORADA 2018/2019" (PDF). www.ferugby.es (in Spanish). 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-02-14.
- ^ "El Salvador y Ordizia toman ventaja en el camino a la fase final de la Copa". ferugby (in Spanish). 11 October 2021.