Chicago Hounds continue unbeaten season with semi-final demolition of Old Glory DC

The Chicago Hounds have confirmed their place in the 2026 Major League Rugby Championship Game on June 28, where they will take on the California Legion.

The Championship Game will feature Legion, who overcame the Seattle Seawolves on Monday morning, while the Hounds took care of business, convincingly, 59-22 in Illinois over Old Glory DC.

But a Theo Fourie driving maul five-pointer opened the floodgates as the Hounds scored four unanswered tries to head into the changing rooms with a 28-point lead.

It was the underdogs, though, who were on the scoreboard first, through a successful Jason Emery penalty goal from 30 meters out, in front of the posts.

The first try of the game was off the back of a powerful lineout drive, where the Hounds muscled up at set piece.

The Old Glory DC couldn’t contain the effective driving maul, with the Hounds powering over the line through Fourie. Hilsenbeck added the extras from the sideline, taking their first lead of the game, 10-3.

Fourie’s try seemed to open the game up significantly, giving the Hounds an opportunity to build on their lead.

The Hounds carried hard during a long-phase attack deep inside the Old Glory red zone, before De Haas executed an inch-perfect cross kick to Brown in the corner.

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Hilsenbeck’s sideline conversion was the same as the last, drawing it back inside the posts. 17-3 after 20 minutes.

Jake Kinneeveauk was the next Hounds player to score, with Peyton Wall joining him shortly after. The Hounds turned every given opportunity into points, highlighting the difference between the two sides during the first half.

The second half began the same way the first finished; this time, it was Mason Flesch getting in on the action close to the line. The Hounds built a number of phases as they threatened the Old Glory DC line.

Wall, who scored the Hounds’ fourth try of the semi-final, was then yellow-carded by referee Derek Summers.

The Old Glory DC took advantage of the one-man overlap, with Myhill scoring their first try of the gap despite their chances slowly fading away.

The Championship Game will take place at SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview, Illinois, between the Chicago Hounds and the California Legion on Monday, June 22, at 11am NZT.