Hounds Trio Inks Overseas Deals

CHICAGO, Il.- The Hounds confirmed today a trio of players that have signed overseas and won’t be returning to Chicago for the 2027 Major League Rugby season. Prop Charlie Abel, versatile forward Mason Flesch, and No. 8 specialist Matthew Oworu have all inked deals with clubs based in France and England.

“On behalf of everyone at the Chicago Hounds, I want to thank Charlie, Mason and Matt for their commitment to this club,” said Hounds General Manager Will Magie. “Charlie has been a Hound since our very first match and helped build the foundation of this franchise. Mason grew into the best player in the league and was named Forward of the Year. Matt was playing his best rugby before his injury and still has his best days ahead of him. All three leave Chicago as champions.”

Charlie Abel: Oyonnax Rugby, France

The Hounds first drafted the Australian native in the 2022 MLR Dispersal Draft and agreed to terms on December 30, 2022. He made his Chicago Hounds debut in the franchise’s first MLR contest against Old Glory DC on February 18, 2023. Prior to Chicago, Abel spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons in Los Angeles. He earned All-Pro honorable mention accolades en route to helping LA win the title in 2021.

Abel appeared in 15 games and made seven starts during the 2023 season, showing his versatility across the front row by playing both tighthead prop and hooker. He finished the season with a pair of tries and completed 127 of his 145 tackle attempts, including 13 dominant tackles. That dominant tackle mark still remains a Chicago Hounds’ single-season record.

The 2024 season saw Abel primarily play loosehead prop, highlighting his versatility once again. He started 10 of his 16 appearances and logged over 800 minutes for the first time since 2021. He completed 109 of his 130 tackle attempts, including six dominant tackles. Abel appeared in both of the Hounds’ playoff games in 2024, coming off the bench in tighthead duty relief.

The tighthead specialist appeared in 13 games with 12 starts in 2025, the most starts he’s registered in a single-season since his 2021 campaign with Los Angeles. He completed 128 of his 153 tackle attempts with nine dominant tackles. On offense, Abel carried the ball 75 times and beat 13 defenders while registering a pair of clean line breaks. He finished the season with one try, scored in the pivotal 2025 Eastern Conference Semi-Final win over Old Glory DC.

Abel earned First-Team All-MLR honors in 2026, starting eight of his 10 appearances and matching his career-high in tries scored (3). He made three clean line breaks and beat 14 defenders on just 69 ball carries. On defense, the prop completed 85 of his 103 tackle attempts, highlighted by his 15 tackles in the championship game against the California Legion. He finished the year with another six dominant tackles.

Over the course of his four seasons in Chicago, Abel experienced the highs and lows of the Hounds. He was there during the inaugural season, finishing 3-13 and enduring a 10-game losing streak. He played in both of the heartbreaking Eastern Conference championship losses in 2024 and 2025. Abel then finally helped the Hounds become the most dominant team in MLR history this past season, being a key contributor to the undefeated, championship run.

Over the course of his Chicago career, Abel appeared in 54 games and made 37 starts while logging 2,947 minutes of game time. He scored seven tries for a total of 37 points on offense and completed 449 of his 531 tackle attempts on defense. He is the franchise’s record holder for dominant tackles, registering 34 over the last four seasons.

Mason Flesch: Newcastle Red Bulls, England

The Hounds first drafted Flesch in the December 2023 Major League Rugby Dispersal Draft after the forward spent the first three years of his career with the Toronto Arrows. He made an immediate impact in the clubhouse. During his first season in Chicago, Flesch started 15 of his 16 appearances, scored three tries, beat 28 defenders on 99 ball carries, and recorded 136 tackles. The forward helped propel the Hounds to the club’s first playoff appearance and capped the year off with a Second-Team All-MLR nod, the first postseason accolade of his career.

Over the next two seasons, Flesch would continue to grow into one of the best players in Major League Rugby. In his 15 appearances, Flesch registered four clean line breaks, 13 beaten defenders, and set a new career-high in tries scored, touching the ball down six times for 34 points (he scored a pair of seven-pointers). Once more, he helped the Hounds reach the postseason before ultimately falling in the 2025 Eastern Conference Final.

Flesch returned in 2026 and was the most dominant player in the league. He started all 11 of his appearances and recorded new career-highs in both tries scored (10) and clean line breaks (6). He scored braces in three of his 11 contests, including a dramatic come-from-behind win over Old Glory DC in Week 10. After his most dominant season in the league, Flesch earned MLR Forward of the Year honors and was named to the First-Team All-MLR team list for the first time in his career. The forward was a key contributor to the Hounds’ undefeated, championship season.

Matt Oworu: Biarritz, France

Oworu signed with the Hounds before the 2025 season after appearances for the Canadian 7s and 15s teams. 

Oworu made his Chicago Hounds debut on March 7th, 2025 in a week three win over the now-defunct Miami Sharks, becoming Chicago Hound No. 72. He made his first MLR start in Week 10 against the Seattle Seawolves, registering a full 80 minutes and completing eight of his ten tackle attempts, including one dominant tackle.

He finished his rookie season with 13 appearances and three starts. As a ball carrier, Oworu made a pair of clean line breaks and beat 17 defenders on just 52 carries while gaining 130 meters. On defense, he completed 91 of his 104 tackle attempts with seven dominant tackles. He registered double-digit tackles in three games during his rookie campaign, including 12 tackles in just 25 minutes of action during the 2025 Eastern Conference final against the New England Free Jacks.

Oworu started all three of his appearances in 2026 before falling to a season-ending injury. He was playing his best rugby as a Hound before being deactivated, scoring a pair of tries, making a pair of clean line breaks, and beating 12 defenders in just those three contests. In his first start of the season, a dominant win over the Seattle Seawolves in Week Five, he completed 17 of his 19 tackle attempts while scoring his first-career MLR try. He followed that up with a 19 for 21 tackle rate in the Hound’s Week Six win at home against Old Glory DC.

“One of our goals is to make Chicago a place where players can grow and reach the highest levels of the game,” Magie concluded. “Seeing three of our own sign with top clubs in France and England makes this organization proud, and we’re glad to have played a part in their development. They’ll always be Hounds, and we wish them and their families every success in this next chapter.”