Hounds Add Utility Back Reece Botha to 2026 Roster

CHICAGO, Il.- The Hounds announced Friday the team secured the signature of 25-year-old utility back Reece Botha. The South African native, who qualifies as domestic, spent the first three seasons of his Major League Rugby career with the NOLA Gold.

A product of Lindenwood University, Botha first signed with the Gold prior to the 2023 campaign. As a rookie, he appeared in six contests with four starts and registered 351 minutes of game time. He scored nine points with a try, a penalty kick, and two successful conversion kicks. Botha averaged over 5 meters-per-carry on 28 carries, running for 150 meters and beating six defenders with ball in hand. He completed 22 of his 27 tackle attempts on defense.

Botha scored a career-high 55 points in 2024 in his 17 appearances (six starts) while playing 672 minutes. From the kicking tee, he nailed 15 of his 22 conversion attempts and hit all five of his penalty goal attempts. As a ball carrier, he scored a pair of tries and ran for 275 meters on 31 carries (8.9 MPC) and is credited with two clean line breaks and six beaten defenders. He completed 44 tackles on defense including three dominant tackles.

Last season, Botha added nine more caps to his career totals and started three games. He scored 15 points via five successful conversion kicks and a try. He played 284 minutes across those nine appearances. To date, Botha earned 32 MLR caps and scored 79 points over the course of the last three years.

The promising prospect adds to a stable of versatile backs the Hounds now have at their disposal. The team previously announced the re-signing of flyhalf Chris Hilsenbeck while adding Brock Webster and Santiago Videla to the 2026 squad. In the midfield, the team signed both Tavite Lopeti and Tian Loots as well.