Chicago Hounds land South African-born former Waratahs hooker Fourie

The Chicago Hounds have revealed their latest recruit to be former Reds, Rebels, and Waratahs hooker Theo Fourie.

The 25-year-old has landed Stateside on a one-year deal for the Eastern Conference finalists, reconnecting with former Souths coach Todd Dammers in the Windy City.

Fourie was an Australia U20 selectee before joining the Reds’ academy, then growing his game with the Rebels and later the Waratahs.

Returning to the Reds for the inaugural Super Rugby Australia season, Fourie started for Les Kiss in a win over the Brumbies.

Having impressed throughout his young career with Souths, Dammers was excited to recruit Fourie to the MLR.

“We are really excited to get a player of Theo’s calibre to sign for the Hounds,” he said. “He is a confrontational set-piece hooker who thrives in the contact area.”

“We believe he will add another dimension to our forward group in 2026.”

Fourie’s signature comes a week after the Hounds announced a series of key re-signings, including fellow Aussie front-row Charlie Abel, Eagles halves duo Chris Hilsenbeck and Ruben de Haas, captain Lucas Rumball, and backrower Mason Flesch.

The 2026 MLR season will feature six teams, down from 11 a season ago. The Utah Warriors, Houston SaberCats, Miami Sharks, and NOLA Gold have each withdrawn from the competition ahead of 2026, leaving the New England Freejacks, Old Glory DC, Seattle Seawolves, Chicago Hounds, Anthem RC, and California Legion to compete amongst themselves.