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The Hawaiian ex-defensive lineman who learnt rugby in four years before USA debut
By Adam Julian
Pono Davis has a big work ethic to match his considerable size. The hulking tighthead prop from the aptly named Big Island in Hawaii stands 188cm and 136kg.
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Davis has played, roller hockey, baseball, basketball, water polo, soccer and American football.
On Sunday week he made his rugby union test debut for the USA Eagles when he came off the bench in their 28-15 win over Canada to start the Pacific Nations Cup. It completes a remarkable ascent for the 26-year-old who only started playing rugby four years ago.
“My debut was a big deal. Greg (Greg Peterson) handed me my jersey and there was a video from Todd Clever which was a huge honour. He’s a big dude who had a massive career,” Davis told RugbyPass.
“I was happy with how I went against Canada. I had some good scrums and tackles but I wasn’t able to carry. That’s something I’m looking forward to.”
Davis is a leading anchor for the Houston SaberCats In MRL. According to All.Rugby he has played 40 games and enjoyed 30 wins since his debut in 2020. The SaberCats have featured in the Western Conference playoffs for three consecutive years.
“I was playing football for the Seattle Sea Dragons. In 2020 the season got cancelled because of Covid which left me at a loose end so I joined the American Raptors to learn rugby.
“I’d played a little bit of backstreet touch with my Samoan and Tongan friends in Hawaii, but otherwise, I’ve been lucky to have had some great coaches and players help me get up to speed.
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“I thank my family for my work ethic. My father Kevin didn’t play a lot of sports but because he was successful in construction we had a lot of opportunities.
“My mum Donna was a swimmer and played water polo all around America. My brother Horino is a leading paddler.
“For me, success is staying humble, doing the little things that matter, and working hard every day,” Davis said.
Davis attended Kamehameha Schools Hawaii from 2011 to 2015 and played varsity football his last two years. In 2014 he was named BIIF Division II Defensive Player of the Year, as well as first-team Offensive line and defensive line.
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A year followed at Tyler Junior College before he earned a scholarship to play football at Southern Methodist University (SMU), where he played in all 38 games from 2017 to 2019 and helped a struggling program achieve exceptional results.
In 1987, SMU became the first and only football program in collegiate athletic history to receive the “death penalty” for repeated serious violations of NCAA rules.
The NCAA forced SMU to cancel its football program for the 1987 season because the university had been paying some of the players with a slush fund. The scandal was the subject of a captivating ESPN film.
Three decades of poor results followed but the program was resurgent with defensive tackle Davis to the fore. He was a three-time inclusion on the American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team.
“I’m proud of what we achieved at SMU. We put the program back on the map in the tough ACC conference,” Davis reflected.
“Our best season was in 2019. We went 10-3 and made the Boca Raton Bowl. I got to play at the Big House in Michigan. That stadium holds 100,000 and it was insane. I remember getting nasty threats on social media days before the game from people I didn’t even know. It was crazy.”
The USA is in the semi-finals of the Pacific Nations Cup after Fiji beat Tonga 50-19. With two defeats in two matches Tonga and Canada are out of top four contention.
