2022–23 División de Honor de Rugby

2022–23 División de Honor
Countries Spain
Date2 October 2022
ChampionsValladolid
Runners-upAparejadores
PromotedAlcobendas
RelegatedLa Vila, Gernika

The 2022–23 División de Honor was the 56th season of the División de Honor, the top flight of Spanish domestic rugby union.

Valladolid won its sixth title in seven years, its twelfth overall, defeating Aparejadores in the final.

Competition format

The season took place between October and May.

Points were awarded as follows:

  • 4 points for a win
  • 2 points for a draw
  • 1 bonus point for a team scoring 4 tries or more in a match
  • 1 bonus point for 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: the top six teams will progress to Group A and the remaining seven teams will progress to Group B. The teams play the other members of their groups once more, meaning Group A teams play a further five games and Group B teams play a further six.[1]

As before, eight teams will progress through to the playoffs, meaning the top two teams from Group B will qualify along with the six teams from Group A.[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.

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.

Team Stadium Capacity Location
Aparejadores San Amaro 1,000 Burgos, Castile and León
2022–23 División de Honor de Rugby is located in Spain
Valladolid
Valladolid
El Salvador

El Salvador
Santboiana
Santboiana
Gernika
Gernika
Aparejadores
Aparejadores
Ordizia
Ordizia
Barcelona
Barcelona
Cisneros
Cisneros
La Vila
La Vila
Ciencias
Ciencias
Abelles
Abelles
Belenos
Belenos
Pozuelo
Pozuelo
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2022–23 División de Honor teams
Belenos RC Estadio Santa Bárbara 5,000 Avilés, Asturias
Ciencias Instalaciones Deportivas La Cartuja 3,000 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 3,000 Gernika
La Vila Campo de Rugby “El Pantano” 1,550 La Vila Joiosa, Valencia
Les Abelles Polideportivo de Quatre Carreres 500 Valencia, Valencia
Ordizia Altamira 2,000 Ordizia, Basque Country
Pozuelo Valle de las Cañas 500 Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid
Santboiana Baldiri Aleu 3,500 Sant Boi de Llobregat, Catalonia
Valladolid Pepe Rojo 5,000 Valladolid, Castile and León

Standings

First phase

Team P W D L F A +/- TF TA +/- Bon Los Pts
1 Valladolid 12 11 0 1 386 170 216 50 19 31 8 1 53
2 Ciencias 12 10 0 2 481 192 289 73 20 53 8 1 49
3 Aparejadores 12 10 0 2 502 245 257 65 35 30 6 1 47
4 El Salvador 12 7 1 4 356 240 116 48 29 19 5 1 36
5 FC Barcelona 12 7 0 5 406 288 118 57 35 22 2 4 34
6 Santboiana 12 7 1 4 360 292 68 48 37 11 2 2 34
7 Complutense Cisneros 12 7 0 5 271 262 9 31 31 0 3 2 33
8 Ordizia 12 5 0 7 306 343 -37 39 41 -2 2 3 25
9 Pozuelo 12 5 0 7 337 405 -68 40 56 -16 2 1 23
10 Belenos RC 12 4 0 8 234 332 -98 28 43 -15 1 2 19
11 Les Abelles 12 3 0 9 267 346 -79 33 46 -13 2 4 18
12 Gernika RT 12 1 0 11 225 402 -177 33 58 -25 1 2 7
13 La Vila 12 0 0 12 84 698 -614 9 104 -95 0 0 0
Qualified for Group A
Qualified for Group B

Second phase

Group A

Team P W D L F A +/- TF TA +/- Bon Los Pts
1 Valladolid 17 14 1 2 562 272 290 75 34 41 10 2 70
2 Aparejadores 17 15 0 2 667 332 335 85 46 39 8 1 69
3 Ciencias 17 13 1 3 635 287 348 96 32 64 11 1 61
4 Santboiana 17 9 1 7 487 457 30 63 60 3 2 3 43
5 FC Barcelona 17 8 0 8 518 484 34 72 62 10 2 4 38
6 El Salvador 17 7 1 9 420 393 27 58 49 9 5 3 38

Group B

Team P W D L F A +/- TF TA +/- Bon Los Pts
1 Complutense Cisneros 18 12 0 6 550 392 158 71 50 21 6 2 56
2 Ordizia 18 10 0 8 608 489 119 84 60 24 6 3 49
3 Belenos RC 18 8 0 10 393 469 -76 50 59 -9 3 2 37
4 Les Abelles 18 7 0 11 476 466 10 60 61 -1 3 5 36
5 Pozuelo 18 6 0 12 528 573 -45 68 78 -10 3 4 31
6 Gernika RT 18 3 0 15 353 582 -229 52 85 -33 2 3 17
7 La Vila 18 0 0 18 131 1132 -1001 14 172 -158 0 0 0
Qualified for playoff quarterfinals
Relegation playoff
Relegation to División de Honor B

Playoffs

Quarter finals Semifinals Final
         
1 Castile and León Valladolid 28
8 Basque Country (autonomous community) Ordizia 17
Castile and León Valladolid 46
Catalonia Santboiana 11
4 Catalonia Santboiana 38
5 Catalonia FC Barcelona 31
Castile and León Valladolid 40
Castile and León Aparejadores 34
2 Castile and León Aparejadores 32
7 Community of Madrid Cisneros 22
Castile and León Aparejadores 28
Andalusia Ciencias 21
3 Andalusia Ciencias 36
6 Community of Madrid El Salvador 12

Copa del Rey

The Copa del Rey's format was changed.

The teams finishing in the top six after the first phase of the league qualified for the Copa del Rey. The team finishing third played the team finishing sixth, while the team finishing fourth faced the team finishing fifth.

Playoffs

23 April 2023
Castile and León Aparejadores47-12Catalonia FC Barcelona
23 April 2023
Catalonia Santboiana35-7Castile and León El Salvador

The winners of these two games progressed to the semifinal draw with the top two.

Semifinals

30 April 2023
Andalusia Ciencias8-17Castile and León Valladolid
30 April 2023
Castile and León Aparejadores46-28Catalonia Santboiana

The final was won by Valladolid in May, setting them on the path to a league and cup double.

Final

7 May 2023
Castile and León Valladolid29-25Castile and León Aparejadores

Relegation playoff

The relegation playoff was played over two legs by Pozuelo, the team finishing 10th in División de Honor, and Independiente, the losing team from División de Honor B promotion playoff final. Pozuelo won 170–46 on aggregate and retained their place in the División de Honor for the 2023–24 season.

Relegation/promotion playoff
11th Community of MadridPozuelo 73 97 170
DHB CantabriaIndependiente 25 21 46

References

  1. ^ "Circular 3" (PDF). FEDERACIÓN ESPAÑOLA DE RUGBY. 2022.
  2. ^ "La División de Honor de rugby arrancará con 13 equipos y cambio de formato". sport.es (in Spanish). 28 September 2022.
  3. ^ "La FER incoa expediente sancionador al Alcobendas Rugby y propone su descenso y fuertes multas". Europa Press. 2022-09-10. Retrieved 2022-10-15.