Hounds Announce Experienced Staff for 2023 Season

CHICAGO, I.L.- Hounds head coach Sam Harris today announced the team’s coaching staff for the 2023 Major League Rugby season. Adam Ashe is the team’s Forwards Coach, while Dave Clancy will coordinate the attack and oversee the backs. Jamie Beamish signed on as the Head of Performance and D.J. Williams has been brought on to the club as their Performance Analyst. Additionally, the club signed two athletic trainers in build-up to the 2023 season: Sam Malette and Kyle Lucas.

This is the first Major League Rugby coaching appointment for Adam Ashe, who spent the previous two seasons playing for the Los Angeles Giltinis, helping them win the title in 2021. He retired from his playing career this past July due to injury and is now fully transitioning into his coaching career.

During his time with the Giltinis, Ashe also acted as the defense coach for the UCLA Bruins, competing in D1A rugby. He has additional experience as an assistant coach for the Stirling Wolves, competing in the Scottish Super 6 league.

As a player, Ashe, 29, was a stalwart for the Glasgow Warriors for nearly a decade. The back-row player earned 73 caps for the side and scored an impressive 13 tries throughout his career, totaling 65 points.

Ashe’s impressive resume with the Warriors, coupled with strong showings throughout his appearances with the Scotland Under 20 squad, earned him a call-up into the men’s senior team. He made his debut against South Africa in 2014 and played the full 80 minutes in the contest. He appeared in six contests for the team throughout his career.

Dave Clancy was brought on to orchestrate the Hounds’ attack and lead the Backs. The Limerick, Ireland native began his coaching career with the Munster Academy while completing his degree in Sports and Exercise Science.

Clancy parlayed the opportunity with Munster into roles within the strength and conditioning department for the Samoan National program in 2011. He worked with the senior men’s national team in the build-up to the 2011 World Cup and was part of the Under 20 program’s coaching staff that won the Junior World Trophy.

After his time in Samoa, Clancy spent three months as the Head Coach of the Cayman Islands national team. In 2016, the Irishman made his way north and signed on as the Chicago Lion’s Director of Rugby. His success with the Lions, including midwest championships and various players going on to earn higher honors, earned Clancy the head coaching role at UCLA in 2020.

Most recently, Clancy was the lead man for the LA Giltinis Academy side. He signed with the team before their first season in Major League Rugby in 2021 and led the team of aspiring MLR players for two seasons. The Academy side unearthed players such as Adam Channel, who went on to appear for both the Giltinis’ senior team and now the USA 7s National team, and MLR rookie Shane Barry, selected by Seattle with the 12th overall pick in the 2022 MLR Draft.

In addition to the two assistant coaches, the Hounds built out an experienced performance support staff for the 2023 season.

Jamie Beamish signed on as the Hounds’ Head of Performance after spending the previous two seasons with Sam Harris and the Austin Gilgronis. In 2022, he helped Austin to a 12-4 record with a league-best +246 point differential. Beamish was the San Diego Legion’s Strength and Conditioning coach for two seasons in 2019 and 2020, helping San Diego to an MLR final appearance in his first season.

D.J. Williams adds additional MLR experience to the backroom staff as the club’s Performance Analyst. The American cut his teeth in the competition with Rugby Atlanta back in 2021, helping them to an Eastern Conference championship and appearance in the MLR final. After his time in Atlanta, Williams signed with Austin before the 2022 season. He worked with both Sam Harris and Jamie Beamish last year during Austin’s impressive campaign.

A pair of athletic trainers round out the performance staff for Chicago’s professional rugby franchise.

Samantha Malette joins the Hounds after spending the 2022 season with Austin as the academy side’s Lead Trainer and the senior side’s Assistant Trainer. Before joining the Gilgronis, she spent five years with Life University as the Lead Trainer for the men’s rugby program.

Athletic trainer Kyle Lucas brings an additional two years of Major League Rugby experience to the Hounds. Lucas worked with Sam Harris and the Gilgronis the past two seasons, helping them achieve the best record in the Western Conference last season.

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ABOUT CHICAGO HOUNDS:

The Chicago Hounds are a professional rugby team competing in Major League Rugby (MLR), North America’s professional rugby competition. The Hounds were named as an expansion franchise in 2022 and are set to play their Inaugural Season in 2023 at SeatGeek Stadium.