Chicago Hounds and Waikato Rugby Union Begin Partnership

CHICAGO, Il.- The Chicago Hounds announced today a High Performance Partnership with the Waikato Rugby Union. The Hounds and the National Provincial Championship team enter this partnership with the intent to share resources, intellectual property, and give players development opportunities.

As part of this partnership, three current Hounds players are training full-time in Waikato, New Zealand with the NPC team. Prop Koby Baker, No. 8 Jake Kinneeveauk, and hooker Jackson Zabierek arrived in New Zealand in late July and will spend the next three months with the NPC side.

All three players signed with the Hounds before the 2025 Major League Rugby season. They continued their development this past fall, appearing for the Hounds Senior Academy team and helping the squad to a pair of wins. Prospective Hounds players can try out for the 2026 Senior Academy this September when Chicago hosts their Senior Academy Combine. After continued development throughout the 2025 season and the fall Academy season, the trio helped Chicago win the championship this past June.