The 2005–06 Top League was the third season of the Japan's domestic rugby union competition, the Top League.
Toshiba Brave Lupus won both the league round-robin and the Microsoft Cup knockout competitions.
Teams
TeamRegionFukuoka Sanix BluesFukuoka, KyushuKobelco SteelersHyogo, KansaiKubota SpearsChiba, KantoNEC Green RocketsChiba, KantoRicoh Black RamsTokyo, KantoSanyo Wild KnightsGunma, KantoSecom RuggutsSayama, Saitama Suntory SungoliathTokyo, KantoToshiba Brave LupusTokyo, KantoToyota VerblitzAichi, TokaiWorld Fighting Bull Kobe, Kansai Yamaha JubiloShizuoka, Tokai
Top League season
Final standings Top League TableClubPlayedWonDrawnLostPoints ForPoints AgainstPoints DifferenceTry BonusLosing BonusPoints1Toshiba Brave Lupus 11 9 0 2 406 193 213 10 0 462Sanyo Wild Knights 11 9 0 2 416 276 140 6 0 423NEC Green Rockets 11 9 0 2 270 136 134 4 1 414Toyota Verblitz 11 7 0 4 431 263 168 6 3 375Kobelco Steelers 11 7 0 4 284 225 59 4 1 336Suntory Sungoliath 11 6 0 5 308 241 67 6 2 327Yamaha Jubilo 11 5 0 6 328 211 117 4 4 288Kubota Spears 11 4 1 6 324 297 27 5 0 239World Fighting Bull 11 5 1 5 166 200 -34 0 1 2310Secom Rugguts 11 2 0 9 260 481 -221 6 1 1511Ricoh Black Rams 11 2 0 9 137 398 -261 2 0 1012Fukuoka Sanix Blues 11 0 0 11 134 543 -409 1 1 2 The top 8 teams qualified for the Microsoft Cup play-offs. The top 4 teams also qualified for entry into the All-Japan Rugby Football Championship.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
Fixtures and results
Microsoft Cup play-offs The top eight teams in the league played off for the Microsoft Cup (2006) knock out tournament, which was won by Toshiba Brave Lupus.
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final
Top League Challenge Series
Coca-Cola West Red Sparks and IBM Big Blue won promotion to the 2006–07 Top League via the 2006 Top League Challenge Series, while Honda Heat, Kintetsu Liners, Kyuden Voltex and NTT Communications Shining Arcs progressed to the promotion play-offs.
Promotion and relegation play-offs Four promotion/relegation matches (Irekaesen) were played, with the winner of each qualifying for the 2006–07 Top League. The 9th, 10th, and 11th placed team from the Top League played against the 3rd, 2nd, and 1st placed teams, respectively, from Challenge 2. The 12th placed team from the Top League played against the 3rd placed team from Challenge 1.
So Fukuoka, Ricoh, Secom, and World all remained in the Top League for 2006–07.
References