Transactions Update: December 20th

Chicago, I.L.- The Chicago Hounds announced a series of transactions today in lead up to the 2023 Major League Rugby Season.

SIGNINGS:

The Hounds agreed to terms with a pair of flankers: Maclean Jones and Luke Beauchamp.

TRADE:

The club acquired flanker Michael de Waal from the Dallas Jackals in exchange for salary cap considerations during the 2023 MLR Season.

Chicago Receives: Michael de Waal, Flanker

Dallas Receives: Salary Cap Considerations for the 2023 Season

Maclean Jones

Maclean Jones (6-1, 225 pounds) made an immediate impact on the Gilgronis upon his arrival in Austin for the 2021 season. He appeared in 13 contests for the Gilgronis with just under 900 minutes of total action. He made 540 meters on his 87 carries (6.2 MPC) with six line breaks and 11 broken tackles, finishing the season with two tries. The flanker recorded 154 tackles on the season.

Jones appeared in nine games in 2022 with seven starts for a total of 596 minutes. He carried the ball 29 times for 137 meters (4.7 MPC) while recording a broken tackle. Jones was credited with 116 tackles on his 131 attempts with five dominant tackles and two turnovers.

Jones is a West Queensland, Australia native and played for St. Joseph’s Nudgee College’s first XV. He served as the vice-captain for the Australian U-20 team at a Junior World Cup and went on to earn a rugby scholarship to the University of Queensland. In 2019, Jones made his debut in Super Rugby with the Waratahs.

Luke Beauchamp

Luke Beauchamp (6-3, 235) makes the move to Chicago after spending the 2022 MLR season with the Austin Gilgronis. Beauchamp is from Brisbane and represented Australia on their U19 team. He spent the first three seasons of his MLR career with the Houston Sabercats.

Beauchamp has 42 career MLR appearances with 2,885 minutes played. Over the course of his four year career, he’s been credited with 454 tackles on his 493 attempts. He totaled over 1,350 meters on his 267 career carries (5.1 MPC) with a pair of line breaks and seven defenders beaten. Since MLR started tracking breakdown steals in 2020, he’s been credited with eight.

Michael de Waal

Michael de Waal (6-3, 230) did not appear in the shortened 2020 season due to injury. He returned in 2021 to be an impact player for the Gilgronis, totaling over 830 minutes in his 14 appearances. The flanker attempted 132 tackles on the year, completing 119 of them and only missing 13, while adding a pair of breakdown steals to the stat sheet. He finished his second season in Austin with 58 carries for 269 meters (4.6 MPC) with a pair of line breaks and six broken tackles.

In 2022, he was named the Gilgronis’ Forward of the Year, starting in 15 games with 1,160 total minutes played. His defensive presence was felt again, attempting 203 tackles while successfully completing 185 of them with only 18 missed attempts. de Waal added his first career try last year while adding 321 meters gained on his 55 carries (5.8 MPC) while being credited with three breakdown steals.

The Cape Town, South Africa native enjoyed a standout collegiate career with Lindenwood University, earning collegiate All-American honors twice.

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The Chicago Hounds kick off their inaugural season in Major League Rugby on February 18th at 1:00 PM CST when they take on Old Glory DC at Segra Field in Leesburg, Virginia. Broadcast information will be available shortly. Fans can watch the Hounds play live at SeatGeek Stadium for the home opener against the Utah Warriors on Sunday, March 5th. For this week only, season ticket packages start at only $200. Buy your tickets today here.

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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.