HOUNDS NAME ROSTER FOR 2024 SEASON OPENER AGAINST SHARKS

News Mar-1-2024

HOUNDS NAME ROSTER FOR 2024 SEASON OPENER AGAINST SHARKS

10 New Caps in Starting 15: 7 forwards, 3 backs

Canadian Duo Stake Claim on Flanker Positions

Billy Meakes Gets Starting Nod at Flyhalf

CHICAGO, IL- Hounds’ Head Coach Sam Harris named his 23-man squad for the 2024 season opener against the Miami Sharks. The contest is set to take place at DRV Stadium in Florida with kick off at 4:30 PM CST.

Forwards:

The starting front row features three players set to make their Hounds’ debut. Zurabi Zhvania will suit up in the #1 shirt and will be accompanied by Ignacio Peculo on the other side of the scrum at the tighthead prop position. After a strong offseason, Fred Apulu won the backup loosehead position and is named to the bench for the season opener. Charlie Abel, another returning Hound, could make an impact from the bench as the backup tighthead prop.

Perennial All-Pro Dylan Fawsitt beat out Guillermo Pujadas for the starting hooker position and will help dictate the set piece on Sunday. Pujadas will look to make his Major League Rugby debut off of the bench. After experiencing turbulence at the hooker position for the majority of last season, this duo is a huge upgrade for the Hounds.

In addition to the new-look front row, the Chicago engine room features two new Dawgs. James Scott and George Merrick are two dangerous lineout weapons that the Hounds sorely missed last season. When healthy, the English duo is expected to be the first-string lock pairing. Scott in particular had a strong preseason and is a player to watch in the season opener. Mike Matarazzo is named to the bench and could earn his 29th MLR cap on Sunday. Last year, the Staten Island native appeared in 13 games and started 11 of those contests.

The Canadian duo of Mason Flesch and Lucas Rumball won out the #6 and #7 shirts in preseason, respectively. Flesch’s impressive training camp was highlighted by a standout performance in the Hounds’ preseason game against the San Diego Legion.

Rumball beat out Maclean Jones, the incumbent openside flanker, in a hotly contested position battle throughout training camp. Jones started all 15 of his appearances last season and this is the first time he’ll seek action off the bench for the Hounds. Vice-Captain Luke White will lead the forward pack from the No. 8 spot against Miami. The versatile forward is the only returning player in the pack and will get his first taste of Hounds’ action since Week 16 of last year.

Backs:

Nick McCarthy looks as advertised. The Leinster, Munster, and US Eagle product gets the nod at scrumhalf. The veteran should add some stability to the position after the Hounds never really nailed down a true starting scrumhalf last year. The reloaded position includes Jason Higgins, the Irish-born, Canadian-international, who will suit up in relief duty from the #21 jersey.

The most interesting storyline coming out of Hounds’ preseason camp was the “Billy Meakes at flyhalf” experiment. The experiment comes to life on Sunday as the recently named captain will take the field at flyhalf for the first time against the Sharks. Luke Carty, who was the first-string flyhalf last season, is named to the bench.

Meakes is joined by Bryce Campbell and Mark O’Keeffe in the midfield. The center duo is familiar with each other after manning the Austin midfield in 2022 and the Chicago midfield at times throughout the 2023 season. O’Keeffe will be looking to get back into his 2021 and 2022 All-Pro form after dealing with nagging injuries last year. Campbell won the #12 shirt after a hotly contested position battle throughout training camp, holding off players such as Caolan Dooley and Cassh Maluia in the process.

Michael Baska’s training camp performance might be the most impressive of the entire Hounds’ squad. The scrumhalf-turned-wing was seemingly on the outside looking in for a spot on the Week 1 roster when the Hounds first assembled in January. After five-plus weeks of consistently strong performances, Baska not only battled his way into the 23, but managed to secure a starting spot on the left wing.

Nate Augspurger, the 2023 MLR Back of the Year, showed in the preseason contest against the Legion just how dangerous of a player he is. The game-breaking wing read a defensive play perfectly and intercepted a San Diego pass, racing it in untouched from half way down the field. That defense, coupled with a dangerous finishing ability that was on display all preseason camp, is exactly what this Hounds’ back three needed. Augspurger gets the start at right wing.

Adriaan Carelse was another standout from preseason camp and will take the field at fullback against Miami. With the roster configuration as it currently stands, Carelse appears to be the Hounds’ primary kicker- both from hand and at goal.

After rehabbing a minor injury for the majority of training camp, star wing Julian Dominguez is named to the bench for the season opener. Fans should expect the Hounds’ 2023 leading try-scorer to make an impact off the bench some time in the second half.

Players that were unavailable for selection included the versatile forward trio of Ben Landry, Brad Tucker, and Conall Boomer. All three players spent training camp rehabbing minor injuries and are expected to compete for a spot in the game day roster as early as next week. Star wing Dave Kearney is also included on the unavailable for selection list after picking up a minor knock in training late this week.

Fans in-market can tune into Marquee Sports Network Plus before the contest switches over to broadcast television mid-game. International fans can watch for free on the Rugby Network.

Numbers Around the Roster:

The game day 23 boasts 750 Major League Rugby caps. Hooker Dylan Fawsitt leads the Hounds with 80 caps and is set to make his 81st appearance on Sunday. Fred Apulu has the least amount of MLR caps on the roster (5).
The front row has a combined weight of 786 pounds. Dylan Fawsitt weighs the lightest, 235 pounds, and Ignacio Peculo weighs the heaviest, listed at 291 pounds. The entire forward pack’s combined weight is 2,061 pounds.
Outside Center Mark O’Keeffe sits at 3,932 meters gained for his MLR career and could eclipse the 4,000 meter mark with a strong performance on Sunday. He’s carried the ball 382 times, good enough for a 10.3 meters-per-carry average. His 3,932 mark leads the Hounds.