{"id":14886,"date":"2025-05-09T20:00:26","date_gmt":"2025-05-10T00:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.majorleague.rugby\/?post_type=news&#038;p=14886"},"modified":"2025-05-09T20:03:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-10T00:03:10","slug":"dom-akinas-western-conference-ambitions-and-eagles-dreams","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.majorleague.rugby\/news\/dom-akinas-western-conference-ambitions-and-eagles-dreams\/","title":{"rendered":"Dom Akina&#8217;s Western Conference Ambitions and Eagles Dreams"},"content":{"rendered":"<h5><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Written By Joe Harvey | Photos By Oscar Herrera <\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Dom Akina and the Houston SaberCats <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">are focused<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> on returning to winning ways in Week 13.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The team has their sights on defeating #2 in the West, San Diego Legion, under the lights this Saturday on ESPN2<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Their 36-17 loss to the New England Free Jacks last weekend in Massachusetts saw the Western Conference side slip to third.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> 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.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14887\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14887\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-14887 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.majorleague.rugby\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Artboard-1-1-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.majorleague.rugby\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Artboard-1-1-1.png 800w, https:\/\/www.majorleague.rugby\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Artboard-1-1-1-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.majorleague.rugby\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Artboard-1-1-1-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14887\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Oscar Herrera<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cOur season isn\u2019t over,\u201d Akina said. \u201cWe still have five games. We\u2019re still in contention for the top of the log for the Western Conference.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cWe\u2019re third right now, but we still have to face Utah at home, and we have San Diego this week.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cWe still have that confidence. We\u2019ve already brushed last week\u2019s game at New England (under the carpet), and we are just focusing on San Diego and coming out of this weekend with five points.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">That disappointment has fueled a lot of the team\u2019s ambition in 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Having only tasted defeat on four occasions <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">so far<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> this season, the side is on track to play postseason rugby again.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"525\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Congratulations to Dom Akina on being named Major League Rugby <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/FirstXV?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#FirstXV<\/a> Inside Center for <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MLR2025?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#MLR2025<\/a> Week 1! \ud83c\udf89<\/p>\n<p>HOU vs CHI<br \/>\u26a1 8 carries<br \/>\u26a1 90 meters made<br \/>\u26a1 2 defenders beaten<br \/>\u26a1 2 linebreaks<br \/>\u26a1 5 offloads <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BABOLSsbXK\">pic.twitter.com\/BABOLSsbXK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Houston SaberCats Rugby (@HOUSaberCats) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HOUSaberCats\/status\/1891919281304055960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 18, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cCulture is a huge thing here,\u201d Akina explained. \u201cEveryone has their abilities, and here in Houston, we want everyone to use their <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">abilities<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> and play off them, play off each other, and express themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cWe get ball-in-hand, express ourselves, and play what\u2019s in front of us. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">We <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">just<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> want the vibes.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> Vibes is a big word. We want to vibe off each other. That is huge for us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14890\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14890\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-14890 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.majorleague.rugby\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Artboard-1-3-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.majorleague.rugby\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Artboard-1-3-1.png 800w, https:\/\/www.majorleague.rugby\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Artboard-1-3-1-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.majorleague.rugby\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Artboard-1-3-1-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14890\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Oscar Herrera<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Week 12\u2019s loss to the Free Jacks saw Houston drop to third in the Western Conference.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A win against one of their oldest rivals could go a long way to securing a home spot in the postseason this June.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cWe need to pitch up every game day,\u201d Akina said. \u201cWe just need to bring that physicality. That\u2019s where we <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">really<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> strive, the physicality and that line speed in defense.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cWe <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">really<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> pride ourselves on defense<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">and <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">we<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> don\u2019t want to disappoint anybody.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> We want to bring that physicality.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThe one thing that hurts us is discipline. In rugby, two penalties and you\u2019re on the five-meter (line) defending, so we have to tighten up on that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cIf we bring our defense and tighten up our discipline, <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">I think<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> we\u2019ll be able to get that number one seed for the Western Conference.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">REALISING A DREAM<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Since making his MLR debut five years ago, Akina has made 67 appearances in the competition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">His arrival in professional rugby has come thanks to his natural athletic ability.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In the 2020 season, he made six appearances as a back-row forward and impressed with his powerful bursts of attack and astute defense.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cI played rugby in college, but that was just for fun,\u201d Akina said. \u201cFootball was my <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">main<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> sport, but when I got into rugby, that was an eye-opener.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cMy athletic abilities kept me in the game. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">I was <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">just<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> adapting and learning rugby.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> That was tough for me.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cI was told by many of those senior players to adapt fast and take everything in. So that\u2019s what I did. I just took everything I did, kept at it, and never looked back.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Ahead of the 2023 season, Akina decided to transition to the backline.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14889\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14889\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-14889 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.majorleague.rugby\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Artboard-1-3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.majorleague.rugby\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Artboard-1-3.png 800w, https:\/\/www.majorleague.rugby\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Artboard-1-3-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.majorleague.rugby\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Artboard-1-3-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14889\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Oscar Herrera<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Still learning with every appearance on the field or in the tape room, his performances have led to further recognition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Across<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> the 2025 season <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">to date<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, Akina has started seven of 10 games for Houston and crossed the whitewash on four occasions <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">to help<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> put his team in Western Conference contention.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Last month, he <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">was named<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> in the USA Men\u2019s Eagles\u2019 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.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"525\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We\u2019re proud to announce that 8 of our SaberCats have been named to the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/USARugby?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@USARugby<\/a> Eagles Extended Player Squad! \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8<\/p>\n<p>Congratulations to Keni Nasoqeqe, Rufus McLean, Emmanuel Albert, Ezekiel Lindenmuth, Max Schumacher, Pono Davis, Marno Redelinghuys, and Dom Akina! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HTownRugby?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#HTownRugby<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vqy3WFJl7M\">pic.twitter.com\/vqy3WFJl7M<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Houston SaberCats Rugby (@HOUSaberCats) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HOUSaberCats\/status\/1910396337365062079?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 10, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cI had a conversation with my wife about it to see about continuing pursuing that goal of mine,\u201d Akina said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cIt was always a goal \u2013 playing rugby and making the USA squad. Even in my first year, I wanted to make the USA team and represent my family.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cI was <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">actually<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> about to be in an extended (player) pool three years ago, but I couldn\u2019t fulfill that because my son was just born<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cI had to take that family role, put rugby aside <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">a little bit<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, and focus on my family. Then the following year, I had another son.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cI 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.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14887\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14887\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-14887 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.majorleague.rugby\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Artboard-1-1-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.majorleague.rugby\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Artboard-1-1-1.png 800w, https:\/\/www.majorleague.rugby\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Artboard-1-1-1-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.majorleague.rugby\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Artboard-1-1-1-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14887\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Oscar Herrera<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cWe had a long chat<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">and <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">we<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> finally decided that she was still on board and wanted to help me pursue that career goal.\u201d<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">So when <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Scott Lawrence\u2019s 72-player extended roster was confirmed<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> at the start of April, Akina had plenty of reason to celebrate and savor the moment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cIt was awesome,\u201d Akina said. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201c<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It was something<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> I was trying to work towards for the past couple of years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cWhen I finally got that call and the emails, because of all the work <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">that I<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> 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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":14891,"template":"","news-categorie":[102,30,107,28,27],"class_list":["post-14886","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-categorie-headlines","news-categorie-highlights","news-categorie-houston-sabercats-news","news-categorie-games","news-categorie-team-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Dom Akina&#039;s Western Conference Ambitions and Eagles Dreams - Major League Rugby<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.majorleague.rugby\/news\/dom-akinas-western-conference-ambitions-and-eagles-dreams\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dom Akina&#039;s Western Conference Ambitions and Eagles Dreams - Major League Rugby\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Written By Joe Harvey | Photos By Oscar Herrera Dom Akina and the Houston SaberCats are focused on returning to winning ways in Week 13. 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