Argentinian winger Julián Domínguez Widmer played in Major League Rugby between 2020-2024. He represented the NOLA Gold between 2020-2021, the Austin Gilgronis in 2022, and the Chicago Hounds between 2023-2024.
NOLA Gold announced the signing of Julián Domínguez in December of 2019 ahead of the 2020 MLR season. The former Los Pumas Sevens man joined from the Jaguares XV club playing in the Currie Cup First Division. Domínguez started all 5 games of the 2020 season, scoring 2 tries before the season was cancelled due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. He added 9 tries in 14 appearances (all starts) for the Gold in the 2021 season, gaining a PB 972m in possession and earning a selection in the All-MLR First XV that season. On 28th September 2021, the NOLA Gold traded Julián Domínguez to the Austin Gilgronis in exchange for 2022 Salary Cap Considerations (unknown) and Austin’s 1st Rd Draft Pick in 2022 (used to select Chase Jones).
Domínguez scored 6 tries in 12 regular season games (all starts) for the Gilgronis as they finished as the #1 seed in the Western Conference before being disqualified by MLR for alleged breaches related to the salary cap. The Austin Gilgronis would cease operations shortly after the conclusion of the 2022 season, along with the LA Giltinis. In the subsequent dispersal draft, the Chicago Hounds selected Julián Domínguez in the 3rd Rd (27th Overall) and the ferocious runner would represent the Hounds during their inaugural MLR season in 2023. He added 6 more tries to his total in 13 regular season games (all starts) for the Hounds in 2023 including a hattrick in their Rd 17 victory over the Utah Warriors, the very first hattrick in Hounds history.
To date, Domínguez has scored 31 tries in his 55 MLR caps (53 starts) across 5 seasons, including a high of 9 in 2021 when he finished T-5th League-wide. On 21st October 2023, the Chicago Hounds announced the return of Julián Domínguez for the 2024 MLR season, where he scored 8 tries in 11 games (9 starts) as the Hounds finished 3rd in the Eastern Conference and qualify for the MLR Playoffs for the first time in their history, where they defeated Dominguez’s former team the NOLA Gold en route to the Eastern Conference Final, where they fell to the eventual champions, the New England Free Jacks. Dominguez earned his 3rd All-MLR selection in 2024, as he was named to the Second XV.
Achievements:
- 2024 All-MLR Second XV
- T-9th in MLR Try Scoring: 2024 (8)
- MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 18
- MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 17
- MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 12
- MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 17
- Hattrick: 2023 – Round 17 (Chicago Hounds – 1st in club history)
- 2022 All-MLR Second XV
- MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Rd 9
- MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Rd 4
- MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Rd 1
- T-5th in MLR Try Scoring: 2021 (9)
- 7th in MLR Meters Gained: 2021 (972m)
- 2021 All-MLR First XV
- MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Rd 14
- MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Rd 10
- MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Rd 7
- 5th in League Meters Gained: 2020 (380)
- MLR Team of the Week: 2020 – Rd 3