Tongan International Otumaka Mausia hopes to lead Cambridge away from relegation
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Cambridge new Tongan recruit Otumaka Mausia brings the natural X-factor that comes with a childhood in Polynesian rugby to the Champ.
Jonah Lomu, the Vunipola brothers, and Charles Piutau all lit up the rugby world in their own way, and they all have Tongan blood coursing through their veins.
Cambridge new Tongan recruit Otumaka Mausia fits that mould, bringing the natural X-factor that comes with a childhood in Polynesian rugby to the Champ.
Mausia is an all-court talent who is equally adept at fly-half, centre or full-back and has played at the very top level in a career that has touched nearly every corner of the globe, including 12 caps for his nation.
The 28-year-old said: “I've played in Portugal. I spent a season in Italy in Serie A, and then I went to Perth, where I spent two seasons in the wider squad with the Western Force.
“I then went to Sydney and played Shute Shield there for two seasons, before I was fortunate enough to get a gig with Moana Pasifika.
“I guess [my time with Pasifika] made me more hungry to get back to that level of rugby.”
After such a long and winding journey across his career, Mausia has become accustomed to changing environments.
He has, however, noticed an interesting quirk about his new home.
“Life in England has been good so far. I'm lucky enough to come in the summertime, so it hasn't been as cold yet. The main difference is just seeing more smaller cars than bigger cars and how narrow the roads are and how different the houses are," he joked.
While the international has bounced around the rugby world, Mausia’s time with the Pasifika last season stands out as an unrivalled CV booster compared to the rest of the Cambridge squad.
Though he is a very polite and amenable character, the Tongan’s experience means he commands respect from his team despite being a newcomer at Grantchester Road.
In both of their pre-season fixtures, Mausia was named captain of the Blood and Sand and is seemingly a frontrunner to lead the group as they look to avoid relegation after the introduction of Champ Rugby’s new format.
The utility back said: “I think the goal for Cambridge this season is to bring the community back into rugby.
“[The new format] makes the league a more exciting challenge. It adds a lot of pressure to teams to perform in order to actually stay in Champ Rugby.
“I’m excited that a lot of us new boys haven’t played in this competition before. For us, that’s a good thing. We won’t look down on any teams, but we also won’t be afraid to take them on.
“We just want to get our name out there and make sure that everyone knows that Cambridge is here to play well this year.”
Clearly, the 28-year-old is confident that he can lead the group away from the drop despite the introduction of the new relegation play-off.
Bottom spot in the Champ will be synonymous with automatic relegation, while the play-off pits the 12th and 13th finishers against each other in the postseason.
The loser will then enter a shootout against the second-placed finisher in National 1, to decide who will play in Champ Rugby for the 2026/27 season.
The man hoping to guide Cambridge away from such drama is new head coach, and former All Black, Craig Newby.
The former Leicester player has been hard at work recruiting new talent to compete in Champ Rugby, with 21 players signing on over the summer.
With several new faces to whip into shape, the fact that Newby has donned the famous black jersey will no doubt aid his efforts in gaining respect from his players.
Mausia admitted: “Being born and raised in New Zealand, I know how hard it is to become an All Black. For a person to become an All Black, that's a massive achievement for us.
“For myself, that was one of the main pillars of me coming to Cambridge. I wanted to be under him and learn from him. Also, I just wanted to pick his brains and see what it takes to improve as a person and a player.
“He speaks softly but firm at the same time. He's a straightforward coach. He's also understandable as well. It's been really good, especially for me, being from the southern hemisphere, it's something we're used to.”
