NEWS

Dom Akina’s Western Conference Ambitions and Eagles Dreams

Written By Joe Harvey | Photos By Oscar Herrera

Dom Akina and the Houston SaberCats are focused on returning to winning ways in Week 13.

The team has their sights on defeating #2 in the West, San Diego Legion, under the lights this Saturday on ESPN2

Their 36-17 loss to the New England Free Jacks last weekend in Massachusetts saw the Western Conference side slip to third.

This is the lowest position the Texas club has held since Week 3. Now, the side will face the San Diego Legion this Saturday and hope to not only leapfrog their Californian rivals but also pile more pressure on division leaders, the Utah Warriors.

“Our season isn’t over,” Akina said. “We still have five games. We’re still in contention for the top of the log for the Western Conference.

“We’re third right now, but we still have to face Utah at home, and we have San Diego this week.

“We still have that confidence. We’ve already brushed last week’s game at New England (under the carpet), and we are just focusing on San Diego and coming out of this weekend with five points.”

A year ago, the SaberCats were the pacesetters in MLR before they saw their hopes of lifting the Shield dashed at the Conference Semi-Finals.

That disappointment has fueled a lot of the team’s ambition in 2025.

Having only tasted defeat on four occasions so far this season, the side is on track to play postseason rugby again.

From Week 1, the SaberCats have shown no sign of a 2024 hangover and gone about their business with the style we have become accustomed to seeing from the club.

Congratulations to Dom Akina on being named Major League Rugby #FirstXV Inside Center for #MLR2025 Week 1! 🎉

HOU vs CHI
⚡ 8 carries
⚡ 90 meters made
⚡ 2 defenders beaten
⚡ 2 linebreaks
⚡ 5 offloads pic.twitter.com/BABOLSsbXK

— Houston SaberCats Rugby (@HOUSaberCats) February 18, 2025

“Culture is a huge thing here,” Akina explained. “Everyone has their abilities, and here in Houston, we want everyone to use their abilities and play off them, play off each other, and express themselves.

“We get ball-in-hand, express ourselves, and play what’s in front of us. We just want the vibes. Vibes is a big word. We want to vibe off each other. That is huge for us.”

Week 12’s loss to the Free Jacks saw Houston drop to third in the Western Conference.

Thanks to a Sunday night victory over the NOLA Gold, the Legion moved ahead of the Texans, and the two teams will meet this Saturday night at Torero Stadium.

A win against one of their oldest rivals could go a long way to securing a home spot in the postseason this June.

“We need to pitch up every game day,” Akina said. “We just need to bring that physicality. That’s where we really strive, the physicality and that line speed in defense. 

“We really pride ourselves on defense, and we don’t want to disappoint anybody. We want to bring that physicality.

“The one thing that hurts us is discipline. In rugby, two penalties and you’re on the five-meter (line) defending, so we have to tighten up on that.

“If we bring our defense and tighten up our discipline, I think we’ll be able to get that number one seed for the Western Conference.”

REALISING A DREAM

Since making his MLR debut five years ago, Akina has made 67 appearances in the competition. 

His arrival in professional rugby has come thanks to his natural athletic ability.

During his college days at Western Oregon, the Hawaii-born back played as a defensive back for the Wolves and played rugby purely for enjoyment.

To test himself, the 30-year-old participated in several MLR Combines to determine whether he had what it took to compete at the top level.

Akina was impressed by the San Diego Legion but did not receive a contract offer. However, a visit to the Austin Gilgronis changed the course of his life.

In the 2020 season, he made six appearances as a back-row forward and impressed with his powerful bursts of attack and astute defense.

“I played rugby in college, but that was just for fun,” Akina said. “Football was my main sport, but when I got into rugby, that was an eye-opener. 

“My athletic abilities kept me in the game. I was just adapting and learning rugby. That was tough for me. 

“I was told by many of those senior players to adapt fast and take everything in. So that’s what I did. I just took everything I did, kept at it, and never looked back.”

Ahead of the 2023 season, Akina decided to transition to the backline.

This move has allowed the 30-year-old to play some of his best rugby and utilize his 4.38-second 40-yard dash and 41-inch vertical leap more effectively.

Still learning with every appearance on the field or in the tape room, his performances have led to further recognition.

Across the 2025 season to date, Akina has started seven of 10 games for Houston and crossed the whitewash on four occasions to help put his team in Western Conference contention.

Last month, he was named in the USA Men’s Eagles’ Extended Player Squad, in a year that could see the squad qualify for the 2027 Rugby World Cup and finally achieve a long-held ambition, which he had considered putting on the back burner for good until recently.

We’re proud to announce that 8 of our SaberCats have been named to the @USARugby Eagles Extended Player Squad! 🇺🇸

Congratulations to Keni Nasoqeqe, Rufus McLean, Emmanuel Albert, Ezekiel Lindenmuth, Max Schumacher, Pono Davis, Marno Redelinghuys, and Dom Akina! #HTownRugby pic.twitter.com/vqy3WFJl7M

— Houston SaberCats Rugby (@HOUSaberCats) April 10, 2025

“I had a conversation with my wife about it to see about continuing pursuing that goal of mine,” Akina said.

“It was always a goal – playing rugby and making the USA squad. Even in my first year, I wanted to make the USA team and represent my family.

“I was actually about to be in an extended (player) pool three years ago, but I couldn’t fulfill that because my son was just born

“I had to take that family role, put rugby aside a little bit, and focus on my family. Then the following year, I had another son. 

“I was getting to that age where I was asking if I still had the skillset and the high-level performance to represent my time and the nation.

“We had a long chat, and we finally decided that she was still on board and wanted to help me pursue that career goal.” 

So when Scott Lawrence’s 72-player extended roster was confirmed at the start of April, Akina had plenty of reason to celebrate and savor the moment.

“It was awesome,” Akina said. “It was something I was trying to work towards for the past couple of years.

“When I finally got that call and the emails, because of all the work that I put in to get into that position and having my wife push me through that whole process to make myself better on the field, it was awesome.

“It made me want to do more on the rugby pitch and show what I can do. It was awesome receiving that and then seeing my name in that extended pool.”