Chicago Hounds Appoint New Head Coach

CHICAGO, Il- The Hounds announced today that Chris Latham will become the head coach of Chicago’s professional rugby team.

Latham, 48, spent the 2024 Major League Rugby season as the Seattle Seawolves’ assistant coach, focusing on attack. The Australian native helped lead Seattle to both a Western Conference title and an appearance in the MLR Championship Final.

Under Latham, the Seawolves finished the regular season with the most points scored in the competition (498). The Seawolves were also one of six teams to score more than 60 tries on the season.

“We are very excited to welcome Chris to Chicago,” stated Hounds CEO and General Manager James English. “Chris is a class operator, with a wealth of experience at the top level of the game and a passion for developing and mentoring talent.”

This is Latham’s second head coaching appointment in Major League Rugby. Prior to the shortened 2020 season, the Utah Warriors signed the former Wallaby as their head coach. As a player, Latham enjoyed a successful career, especially at the test level, scoring 40 tries over the course of his international career.

“He joins us on a 3 year contract as we demonstrate our commitment to our long term vision for the organization moving forward,” concluded English.

Amongst Latham’s first tasks as the Hounds’ top dog was assembling a coaching staff for the upcoming 2025 season, which is expected to be released in the coming days.