Hounds Secure Gritty Win on Sunday Night Rugby, Move to 5-0

CHICAGO, Il.- The league-leading Chicago Hounds welcomed Old Glory DC to SeatGeek Stadium in Sunday Night’s week six action of Major League Rugby. Chicago moved to 5-0 on the season with a 49-31 win.

Chris Hilsenbeck led all scorers with 17 points from the tee, going four for five on conversion attempts and three for three on penalty attempts. Hooker Theo Fourie added another pair of scores to his season tally, now at six, while flanker Mason Flesch continued his run of dominance with his own try, his fifth of the year. Tighthead prop Charlie Abel and inside center Ollie Devoto also scored with versatile back Santiago Videla adding the finish exclamation point, scoring a try and conversion kick with the clock well into the red.

It didn’t start off well for the Hounds, however. DC struck first in the opening minutes of the game with a penalty try, resulting in a yellow card for right wing Mark O’Keeffe. But Chicago struck back only moments later with Fourie’s first try of the game. Hilsenbeck hit the conversion and leveled the score at seven.

Chicago and DC traded scores back and forth over the next 20 minutes. Old Glory flyhalf Jason Robertson scored a try in the eighth minute with Abel responding five minutes later. It was then DC fullback Damien Hoyland scoring a try before Fourie touched down his second try in the 28th minute. With the score tied at the half-hour mark, Chicago began to assert their dominance.

Flesch scored in the 33rd minute to give the Hounds their first lead of the game before Devoto extended the lead minutes before halftime. Hilsenbeck displayed his best kicking to date in tonight’s first half, hitting four of his five conversion attempts. The Hounds went into halftime with a 33-21 lead.

The second half resumed with teams trading blows and keeping each other off the score sheet for nearly the entire third quarter. DC reserve hooker Koi Koi Nelligan made things interesting with a try for Old Glory in the 56th minute, however. The teams then went into the second half water break in a one-score game at 33-26.

Chicago’s scrum took over the show in the final 20 minutes of the game. They seemingly won penalty after penalty, and with all of them in close-range of the goalposts, Hilsenbeck began to tick over points. He hit his first penalty goal of the season in the 63rd minute, making it a two-score game, 36-26. The flyhalf followed that up with another penalty goal in the 68th minute, giving Chicago a 13 point lead.

But Old Glory didn’t go down without a fight. With Chicago down to 14 man after a Charlie Abel yellow card, they responded with another Robertson try in the 71st minute. The tough conversion attempt hit the goalpost, keeping it at a two-score game and giving Chicago fans a little breathing room.

Hilsenbeck made it a nine-point game in the 74th minute, seemingly sealing a win for the home side with the clock dwindling down. With the clock well past the 80th minute, a heads up play from flanker Emmanuel Albert led to a display of silky hands, resulting in a Santiago Videla score under the sticks. He converted his own try, putting an exclamation point on the night’s activities.

The game marked a special occasion for reserve loosehead prop Luke White. He earned his 50th Chicago Hounds cap when he took the field in the second half. The Australian-born, US-qualified forward first signed with the Hounds ahead of their inaugural 2023 season. White made his Hounds’ debut in the franchise’s first game, also played against DC, on February 18, 2023.

Chicago returns home next weekend for a pivotal matchup against Carolina Anthem, currently enjoying a bye-week. The Hounds met Anthem in the first week of the season and came away with a 33-19 win down in Charlotte.

CHI: 49

DC: 31

Scoring:

Tries: Theo Fourie (2), Charlie Abel, Mason Flesch, Ollie Devoto, Santiago Videla

Conversions: Chris Hilsenbeck (⅘), Santiago Videla (1/1)

Penalties: Chris Hilsenbeck (3/3)

Lineup: