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The traditional Waseda-Keio and Waseda-Meiji rugby matches are particularly popular among university sports. This year, the match against Keio University will be held at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium on Saturday, November 23rd (national holiday), and the match against Meiji University will be held at the National Stadium on Sunday, December 1st. This season, the Waseda University Rugby Football Club is on a roll after comfortably defeating their arch rival, Teikyo University, on Sunday, November 3rd. The Waseda-Keio and Waseda-Meiji matches look set to be even more exciting.

In addition, since the appointment of Coach Otao in 2021, the rugby club has adopted a "two-pronged approach," and while focusing on sports, the club is also carrying out various initiatives to contribute to the community in addition to its studies.

This time, we interviewed Hagiwara, who won the Waseda Athlete Program (WAP) Annual Outstanding Academic Achievement Individual Award (※) in 2022, and Sato, the captain for 2024. We got to the bottom of the secret behind the team's strength, from their enthusiasm for the game to their "Two-pronged approach." Be sure to support the players who are striving to be the best in university history while striving to be both academically and athletically outstanding!

(*) The award will be given to individuals in the top 10% of each grade from 3rd year onwards from all sports clubs.

Open teamwork born from "Two-pronged approach "

Takeru Hagiwara, 3rd year student School of Sport Sciences
Flanker (FL) Graduated from Meikei Gakuen High School

--Hagiwara, you have been performing well this season as a flanker (FL), a forward who is strong in defense and scrums. What made you want to play rugby at Waseda University?

When I started playing rugby as a child, I would practice on the grounds of Tsukuba University, so I naturally felt fascinated by the sight of Waseda University and Tsukuba University competing in inter-university matches.

However, I was so focused on rugby in junior high and high school that I had to repeat my entrance exams, so I wanted to focus on both rugby and studying at university. I thought that Waseda University was the best place to aim for the top spot in rugby and also study, so I applied there.

--It must have been extremely difficult to make up for a year's hiatus?

It was hard to regain my stamina and playing ability, but it was even harder to regain the weight I'd lost by nearly 12kg since high school. In rugby, weight is an important factor, especially for forwards who have a lot of opportunities to throw their bodies into the air, so it was tough when I couldn't get my weight back.

However, the knowledge of nutrition I learned in classes at School of Sport Sciences was very helpful in losing weight. Aside from nutrition, the daily class content, such as weight training methods and mindset methods learned in psychology classes, has been able to be applied to my growth in rugby in various ways. In rugby, mentality is so important that it can determine victory or defeat, so I would like to make psychology the theme of my graduation thesis.

Q: In terms of your academics, you received the WAP Outstanding Academic Achievement Individual Award in 2022 when you were a first-year student. With the gap in your studies, what were some of the difficulties in balancing your studies with finding time to practice?

I regretted not studying hard until high school, using rugby as an excuse. I used that feeling as motivation and started doing the obvious things like attending classes even when I was tired from practice, and turning in assignments by the deadline. I managed to hang in there by doing small things like making checklists so I wouldn't forget the deadlines.

Not only me, but every year there is a winner of the "WAP Annual Outstanding Academic Achievement Individual Award" from the rugby club. There are many players who are highly conscious about their studies, so I think they are a good source of inspiration for the rest of the club.

-- Deepening your learning outside of rugby and striving for self-improvement is one of the rugby club's "Two-pronged approach." What other efforts are you making outside of balancing your studies and rugby?

For example, some members of the Waseda Club, a rugby club for elementary school students, serve as student coaches, which I think is a great activity. As a child, I was able to interact with University of Tsukuba players on the grounds of the university, which has always inspired me to play university rugby. I think this is an activity that will help connect the future of children who want to play rugby.

Coach Otao and my seniors have told me many times at meetings that "if you're in the Waseda University rugby club, rugby alone isn't enough," and this has become a shared understanding among every member of the club.

--Does this "Two-pronged approach" ever have a positive effect on your play?

Thanks to the "Two-pronged approach," I feel that we have had the opportunity to interact with students from other years and have been able to communicate well. This has had a positive effect on deepening friendships within the organization, not only through external activities such as Waseda Clubs, but also through being able to ask for advice on class assignments.

--As a team, you have been performing well in the Kanto University Rugby Tournament, including consecutive shutout victories against Nippon Sport Science University (83-0) and Aoyama Gakuin University (67-0), as well as a comfortable win against Teikyo University (48-17). What are the characteristics of the rugby football club this year?

In terms of play, we have been focusing on defense and scrums more than last year, and have been able to Focus the small details in practice. Especially in the scrum, unlike last year when we were conscious of not being pushed by the opponent, we are now conscious of overwhelming the opponent and winning.

Aside from playing, I feel that the atmosphere within the team is good. The fourth-year students have created an atmosphere where everyone can easily express their opinions, regardless of whether they are seniors or juniors, and there are more opportunities to talk with the coaches, so the team is able to fight more freely and as one.

--This season, the Waseda-Keio and Waseda-Meiji games are approaching. Please tell us again about the significance of these big games and your motivation.

Both the Waseda-Keio and Waseda-Meiji games are important matches in terms of winning the inter-university competition, and I myself have been watching Waseda rugby since I was a child, so I know how special the Waseda-Keio and Waseda-Meiji games are. I wasn't a member of the team in my first and second years, so I'm determined to make it this year!

The Waseda-Meiji game is also special in that we get to play at the National Stadium. This is something that regular university students don't get to experience, and I'm looking forward to it so much that I can't wait to get on that field.

I want everyone to join in on this special battle, and get excited together when we push forward with the scrum. I'll be somewhere in the back row of the scrum, so be sure to keep an eye out!

Win with Heart! "Beat Up" for the Waseda-Keio and Waseda-Meiji games

Kenji Sato, 4th year student School of Sport Sciences
Captain/Hooker (HO) Graduated from Toin Gakuen High School

-What are your team colors this year?

Because we are able to think for ourselves and take initiative, the quality of our rugby is getting better and better. Specifically, we have been able to improve our individual skills in set plays and defense since the spring season, and this has become our strength more than ever.

I was often away from the team for training camps with the Japanese national team, but when I returned, the whole team had improved even more and I was very confident. On top of that, I think it's also a great thing that I can enjoy rugby itself.

-What is the meaning behind the team slogan for 2024, "Beat Up"?

"Beat Up" means to beat the opponent or to beat the opponent to a pulp. What Waseda has lacked so far has not been skill or physique, but confidence in their own play. And the heart that says, "We really can't lose!" I chose this word because I want to keep that in mind.

--Please tell us what the highlights are of the Waseda-Keio and Waseda-Meiji games, which you "must not lose."

Of course, we go into every game with the intention of winning, but for the Waseda-Keio and Waseda-Meiji games, we are not only competing with our own players, but also with our schools, so our desire to win is even stronger. Also, the number of spectators, including friends and Alumnus from the university, is on a completely different level than usual. The Waseda-Keio and Waseda-Meiji games are games that we feel we cannot afford to lose as a school.

At Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, where the Waseda-Keio match is held, the ground and spectator seats are very close, allowing you to fully experience the excitement of the matches, including the sounds of players colliding with each other and the team chants.

Meanwhile, the stage for the Waseda-Meiji match will be the National Stadium. It's a big stage that students don't usually get to experience, so it's a match that inspires them to perform even better than usual, and I hope that everyone who supports them will also enjoy the atmosphere of that big stage.

Scenes from the 2023 Waseda-Keio match (left) and Waseda-Meiji match (right). The matches, held at the National Stadium, which can accommodate approximately 70,000 people, will be truly spectacular (Photo courtesy of the Waseda University Rugby Football Club)

In addition, both Waseda and Meiji are teams that move the ball, so the game will change rapidly and it should be interesting to watch. Every year, it is said that "Meiji is the forward, Waseda is the back," but this year Waseda is confident in the performance of their forwards who form scrums in front, so I hope you will see them collide violently.

More than anything, we ourselves should enjoy the game. It would make us very happy if people could see us playing hard and having fun.

Interview and text: Naoto Oguma (2002 graduate of School of Letters, Arts and Sciences II)
X: @oguman1977

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