The new Top League was put on hold on Sunday for six weeks to allow Japan's best (not to mention a number of Samoans, Tongans and Fijians plying their trade in Japan) time off to compete in the Rugby World Cup.

And for a great many of the coaches and players it will be back to the drawing board.

One of the hopes for the new professional league was that the one-sided contests that too often dominated the Japanese game would be a thing of the past. However, in the 12 games played to date only two could be deemed close (earning the losing side a bonus point for losing by seven points or under.)