Fijian veteran Api Naikatini has played in Major League Rugby between 2019-2023. He represented the Seattle Seawolves in 2019, before joining Old Glory DC for their inaugural season. He has played with DC for 4 seasons.
Internationally capped with Fiji, Naikatini earned 16 caps with the Seattle Seawolves in 2019 en route to their 2nd MLR Championship, before moving to DC ahead of the 2020 season, where he has earned an additional 32 caps with the Flags to bring his MLR total to 48 caps in the competition by the end of the 2023 season.
The 38yo forward (at the conclusion of the 2023 season) has also scored 2 tries in the competition, 1 for each of the MLR teams he has represented. On 19th July 2023, White Plains RFC announced Naikatini in a ‘player spotlight’, suggesting he will be spending the off-season playing with the American Rugby Premiership side. It is not known if Naikatini will appear in the MLR for the 2024 season.
Achievements:
- MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Week 17
- 2019 MLR Champion – Seattle Seawolves
- MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Championship Final
- MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Week 3