Hounds Promote Academy Standout to Senior Squad

The Chicago Hounds announced today the signing of Academy standout Sam Walsh. After joining the Hounds Academy team earlier this year, Walsh parlayed a pair of impressive performances into a contract with the senior team ahead of the 2025 Major League Rugby season.

The Cal Berkeley product spent his rookie 2024 season with Los Angeles Rugby Football Club and can play both flyhalf and fullback.

The 5’11”, 200 pound distributor was born in Boston but moved to Hong Kong as an infant. After attending the King George V School, Walsh earned his International Baccalaureate degree from the Scots College in New Zealand. He signed with the California Golden Bears as part of their 2018 recruiting class.

It didn’t take long for Walsh to make an impact, starting eight games in his 2019 true freshman season. The flyhalf became one of Cal’s best playmakers, finishing the year with 10 tries while hitting 64 conversions, good enough for a staggering 178 points. Between the pandemic-shortened seasons and a few untimely injuries, Walsh’s playing opportunities were limited over the next few seasons.

Upon graduation, Walsh earned a contract training with the USA Men’s 7s program at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California. In November of 2022, he made his World Series debut at the Hong Kong 7s tournament, alongside fellow Hound Noah Brown. He signed with LA RFC prior to the 2024 season.

As a rookie, the flyhalf appeared in eight contests and earned two starts, playing a total of 202 minutes. Walsh carried the ball 24 times and averaged six meters-per-carry, gaining 144 meters on the year. Defensively, the former Golden Bear made all nine of his tackle attempts.

To date, the Chicago Hounds confirmed the following player transactions: