# 2022–23 División de Honor de Rugby

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.
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.
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.

### 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 | Valladolid El SalvadorSantboianaGernikaAparejadoresOrdiziaBarcelonaCisnerosLa VilaCienciasAbellesBelenosPozueloclass=notpageimage| 2022–23 División de Honor teams |
| Belenos RC | Estadio Santa Bárbara | 5,000 | Avilés, Asturias | Valladolid El SalvadorSantboianaGernikaAparejadoresOrdiziaBarcelonaCisnerosLa VilaCienciasAbellesBelenosPozueloclass=notpageimage| 2022–23 División de Honor teams |
| Ciencias | Instalaciones Deportivas La Cartuja | 3,000 | Seville, Andalusia | Valladolid El SalvadorSantboianaGernikaAparejadoresOrdiziaBarcelonaCisnerosLa VilaCienciasAbellesBelenosPozueloclass=notpageimage| 2022–23 División de Honor teams |
| Complutense Cisneros | Estadio Complutense | 12,400 | Madrid, Madrid | Valladolid El SalvadorSantboianaGernikaAparejadoresOrdiziaBarcelonaCisnerosLa VilaCienciasAbellesBelenosPozueloclass=notpageimage| 2022–23 División de Honor teams |
| El Salvador | Pepe Rojo | 5,000 | Valladolid, Castile and León | Valladolid El SalvadorSantboianaGernikaAparejadoresOrdiziaBarcelonaCisnerosLa VilaCienciasAbellesBelenosPozueloclass=notpageimage| 2022–23 División de Honor teams |
| FC Barcelona | La Teixonera | 500 | Barcelona, Catalonia | Valladolid El SalvadorSantboianaGernikaAparejadoresOrdiziaBarcelonaCisnerosLa VilaCienciasAbellesBelenosPozueloclass=notpageimage| 2022–23 División de Honor teams |
| Gernika RT | Urbieta zelaia | 3,000 | Gernika | Valladolid El SalvadorSantboianaGernikaAparejadoresOrdiziaBarcelonaCisnerosLa VilaCienciasAbellesBelenosPozueloclass=notpageimage| 2022–23 División de Honor teams |
| La Vila | Campo de Rugby “El Pantano” | 1,550 | La Vila Joiosa, Valencia | Valladolid El SalvadorSantboianaGernikaAparejadoresOrdiziaBarcelonaCisnerosLa VilaCienciasAbellesBelenosPozueloclass=notpageimage| 2022–23 División de Honor teams |
| Les Abelles | Polideportivo de Quatre Carreres | 500 | Valencia, Valencia | Valladolid El SalvadorSantboianaGernikaAparejadoresOrdiziaBarcelonaCisnerosLa VilaCienciasAbellesBelenosPozueloclass=notpageimage| 2022–23 División de Honor teams |
| Ordizia | Altamira | 2,000 | Ordizia, Basque Country | Valladolid El SalvadorSantboianaGernikaAparejadoresOrdiziaBarcelonaCisnerosLa VilaCienciasAbellesBelenosPozueloclass=notpageimage| 2022–23 División de Honor teams |
| Pozuelo | Valle de las Cañas | 500 | Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid | Valladolid El SalvadorSantboianaGernikaAparejadoresOrdiziaBarcelonaCisnerosLa VilaCienciasAbellesBelenosPozueloclass=notpageimage| 2022–23 División de Honor teams |
| Santboiana | Baldiri Aleu | 3,500 | Sant Boi de Llobregat, Catalonia | Valladolid El SalvadorSantboianaGernikaAparejadoresOrdiziaBarcelonaCisnerosLa VilaCienciasAbellesBelenosPozueloclass=notpageimage| 2022–23 División de Honor teams |
| Valladolid | Pepe Rojo | 5,000 | Valladolid, Castile and León | Valladolid El SalvadorSantboianaGernikaAparejadoresOrdiziaBarcelonaCisnerosLa VilaCienciasAbellesBelenosPozueloclass=notpageimage| 2022–23 División de Honor teams |

## 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 | Quarter finals | Quarter finals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final |
| 1 | Valladolid | 28 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Ordizia | 17 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Ordizia | 17 | Valladolid | Valladolid | 46 | | | |
| | | | Santboiana | Santboiana | 11 | | | |
| 4 | Santboiana | 38 | Santboiana | Santboiana | 11 | | | |
| 5 | FC Barcelona | 31 | | | | | | |
| 5 | FC Barcelona | 31 | | | | Valladolid | Valladolid | 40 |
| | | | | | | Aparejadores | Aparejadores | 34 |
| 2 | Aparejadores | 32 | | | | | | | Aparejadores | Aparejadores | 34 |
| 7 | Cisneros | 22 | | | | | | |
| 7 | Cisneros | 22 | Aparejadores | Aparejadores | 28 | | | |
| | | | Ciencias | Ciencias | 21 | | | |
| 3 | Ciencias | 36 | Ciencias | Ciencias | 21 | | | |
| 6 | 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
| Aparejadores | 47-12 | FC Barcelona |
* 23 April 2023
| Santboiana | 35-7 | El Salvador |
The winners of these two games progressed to the semifinal draw with the top two.

### Semifinals

* 30 April 2023
| Ciencias | 8-17 | Valladolid |
* 30 April 2023
| Aparejadores | 46-28 | Santboiana |
The final was won by Valladolid in May, setting them on the path to a league and cup double.

### Final

* 7 May 2023
| Valladolid | 29-25 | 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 | Relegation/promotion playoff | Relegation/promotion playoff | Relegation/promotion playoff | Relegation/promotion playoff |
| 11th | Pozuelo | 73 | 97 | 170 |
| DHB | Independiente | 25 | 21 | 46 |