Pifeleti Inks One-Year Contract Extension

CHICAGO, Il.- The Chicago Hounds announced this evening they agreed to terms on a one-year contract extension with 29-year-old loosehead prop Fakaosifolau Pifeleti. The eight-year Major League Rugby veteran returns to Dawg Town after signing with the Hounds last offseason.

Prior to signing with Chicago, Pifeleti spent the majority of his MLR career with the San Diego Legion. He signed with the team ahead of the 2018 season, the league’s inaugural year, and spent the next four seasons in Southern California. After a brief one-year spell with the Austin Gilgronis in 2022, Pifeleti returned to San Diego for an additional two seasons in 2023 and 2024.

The loosehead prop was an instant upgrade to the Hounds’ front row upon his arrival. He started all 15 of his appearances last season and clocked in 762 minutes of game time. Pifeleti enjoyed a career-year defensively, completing over 100 tackles for the first time in his MLR career. He finished the season with 109 tackles on 131 attempts and is credited with four dominant tackles. In the breakdown, he secured 99 balls for the Hounds and won one turnover on the year.

Over the course of his career, the California-native earned 87 caps with 64 starts and played a total of 3,918 minutes. He scored 47 points via nine tries including one seven-pointer. Pifeleti completed 528 of his 634 tackle attempts and registered 39 dominant tackles.

Prior to MLR, Pifeleti matriculated through the Saracens academy program alongside his brother, Kapeli. He made his US Eagles test debut in October 2021 against the New Zealand All Blacks. His father played for the Tongan national team and his brother is currently a mainstay in the Eagles’ roster.