On 2nd March 2024, Cambridge University recorded the biggest victory in the history of the Men’s Varsity Match by beating Oxford University 56-11. Makoto Tosa, an MBA student at Clare Hall, was a forward for the Cambridge Blue’s team, and put on a stellar performance during the match.

Tosa first came into Oxbridge rugby when he played as a replacement for the Oxford team in 2009, while he was studying British and European Studies at Oxford University. After returning to Japan, Tosa played semi-professional rugby with Green Rockets Tokatsu and was selected to Eddie Jones’ Japan training squad. Due to a brain tumor diagnosis following an epileptic seizure, Tosa had to undertake treatment, and ultimately, open brain surgery. Tosa’s determination and grit allowed him to return to rugby, as only the second person in the world, after Julian Huxley, to return to an elite contact sport after brain surgery.

Tosa also played for Australia’s Shute Shield for a season, and captained the Mitsubishi DynoBoars from 2017 to 2023. Tosa went on to make more than 70 matches at the top level, earning a second selection in the Japan Rugby Top League All-Star XV, captain the Asia Pacific Dragons, reach a Japan Cup semi-final and clinch a third-place finish in the Japan Top League.

Tosa joined Cambridge University in 2023 to pursue an MBA while improving his knowledge and rugby network, and has since switched shades of blue to play for CURUFC. Tosa will go down in the record books for having won two Blues, for the two different universities, and at two different stadiums. We are immensely proud of Tosa, and wish him all the best in his future endeavours!

Read more about Tosa in his interview with The Telegraph.