Japan’s top university rugby team regains the title.

著者：株式会社ミラック光学　代表取締役 村松 洋明

Sunday, January 11th, 2026, the day of the decisive battle,
I was woken up by the sound of a strong wind flapping against the shutters.
“Strong wind… This is bad… If this strong wind continues during the match, it may be fatal weather for Meiji Rugby, which will be making heavy use of contest kicks this season… Or maybe it will turn out to be a kamikaze…”
The thought suddenly crossed my mind. Yes, it’s a bit like “Clouds Above the Hill.”
“The weather is clear but the waves are high.” I had a feeling that would happen.

I head to the National Stadium to see the Meiji University Rugby Team reclaim the university championship for the first time in seven years.
The odds are that Waseda will have the advantage in today’s match.
There is a jinx in the world of university rugby that if two teams play each other twice
in the same season, they cannot win consecutive games in the Meiji-Waseda game and the university championship. (This season, Meiji won the Meiji-Waseda game in December…)
Meiji, which won the intercollegiate competition and advanced to the finals in first place, has overcome a relatively easy obstacle in the university championship tournament, while Waseda has overcome a difficult obstacle filled with championship favorites, giving Waseda confidence and momentum.
Waseda, who lost to the Meiji-Waseda match in December, will be eager for revenge and will undoubtedly dominate.
When Waseda defeated Teikyo in the first semi-final match of the university championship, the rugby they played was highly polished and it was a great game that was typical of Waseda.

There are countless unfavorable factors to list, but it’s truly strange that the more Meiji and Waseda teams were said to have the advantage in a match, the more the outcome turned out to be the opposite. Even though I had no absolute basis for this belief, I couldn’t shake the image of “Clouds Above the Hill” and believed, “We can win !”

If Meiji win two consecutive games against Waseda in the Meiji-Waseda University Championship and become the university champion, it will be the first time in 29 years.
I felt something’s stirring in my heart, “History is moving !”

The results of the match are well known.
The details of the match have been reported in various media including social media, magazines and newspapers, so I don’t think there’s any need for an amateur spectator report like mine.

However, my impression while watching the game from the stands was “This was the best performance of the season for the Meiji University Rugby Club.”
They are erasing Waseda’s strengths and dragging them into their own turf.

They were able to move forward in defense, get up quickly even when they fell down　and correct the scrum battle that had them completely defeated in the Meiji-Waseda match a month ago.
It’s a victory for defense.
I felt that there were individual skills but everything was connected in line with the slogan “All Connect” on this day.
When they withstood Waseda’s fierce attack at the end of the second half and drew a foul, resulting in the final whistle, I was moved to tears.
I wasn’t shedding tears because they won a championship.
Perhaps it was the strong sense of unity that came from the victory, with everyone at Meiji University, including the many fans cheering in the stands, that brought about a strange emotion that they had never experienced before.
Perhaps the strong sense of unity that came from the victory with everyone at Meiji University including the many fans cheering in the stands may bring about a strange emotion that they had never experienced before.

Thank you for a great game and I’d like to appreciate for opening new doors.

All of the past 14 college championship games have been fantastic and this time has a special depth.
We must not give up, we must not compromise and what should we do now ?
I am deeply moved by how all the players have taken the initiative to rebuild the team just over two months after the Meiji vs Keio game, in which they won the game but lost the match.
Everyone including the management, staff, behind-the-scenes workers, and fans came together in the end.
Members or non-members, all of the club members who experienced the process that led to this victory will surely grow when they enter society.

Even after the final whistle and the victory ceremony were over, I remained in the stands to watch the Meiji University rugby team members being lifted up in celebration and sharing in their joy. It was a happy time for me.

Developing athletes helps raising them up.
I was completely intoxicated by the amazing “Forward and Beyond.”

P.S.

I invited my son, a sophomore in college to this university championship final.
“You’ve never seen Meiji rugby at a stadium since you enrolled, have you ? You’ll maybe get to witness them reclaim the university championship for the first time in seven years. I bought an extra ticket knowing you might turn it down. Don’t you want to come with me on the day before your Coming of Age Ceremony ?”
I got the answer, “Sure” I was hoping for. It was a bit surprising.

I think we have to figure it out about the aging of the audience including myself every year when I go to watch rugby.

We need to put a stop to the younger generation’s decline in watching rugby and the six-university baseball games and create mechanisms that make it fun for them to support their alma mater together with their friends.
“Something needs to change. If the university won’t act, I’ll do what I can on my own.

I want to first of all convey to the college generation the Meiji philosophy of “forward” and the thoughts behind “beyond that” to my son. This life lesson will become the starting point for your future life and should be a place to return to when you come up against a major obstacle. Watching that spectacle live at the National Stadium may be a turning point for my son’s way of life, just as I fell in love with rugby after watching the Meiji-Waseda match in the snow.”
If they can sense something like that, perhaps we can pass the baton to the college generation and expand the circle.
I know I’m a doting father but I cheered and watched the game from the stands while my keeping this in mind. (We both wore purple replica jerseys.)
This was my version of “thoroughness in the little things.”

Youtube video : Clouds above the Hill (Opening)

With the mentality of people of the Meiji era, they walk with looking forward to what’s ahead.
If a single white cloud were to shine in the blue sky above the hill they were climbing, they would likely continue climbing the hill with looking at only it on that cloud.

*The historical background is reminiscent of the lyrics of the Meiji University school song.
Let’s do our best next season to proudly sing our school song again !