Chicago City Wire

The Chicago Hounds are set to face the NOLA Gold in Week Six of Major League Rugby. The match will take place at The Gold Mine in New Orleans, kicking off at 3 PM on Saturday. Fans can watch the game via Marquee Plus or the Rugby Network.

Charlie Abel is poised to make his 50th MLR appearance and will start at loosehead prop for the first time this season. He joins Ignacio Peculo in the front row, with Dylan Fawsitt returning as hooker after playing off the bench last week against the Seattle Seawolves. Fred Apulu remains a backup loosehead prop, while Paddy Ryan may make his third appearance as a replacement tighthead. Janus Venter from South Africa could debut in Major League Rugby wearing the No. 16 shirt.

Mason Flesch and James Scott will continue their partnership in the engine room for a second consecutive week. Flesch's performance against Seattle earned him another selection to MLR’s weekly First XV, while Scott aims to improve lineout operations after last weekend's issues.

In the backrow, Ben Landry starts as blindside flanker following his debut last weekend post-injury recovery. Lucas Rumball returns to starting since Week 2, and Maclean Jones shifts to No. 8 after three games at openside flanker.

The Hounds' bench strategy includes a 6-2 positional split with Luke White, Brad Tucker, and Conall Boomer offering versatility as forward substitutes.

Nick McCarthy makes his sixth start at scrumhalf alongside flyhalf Adriaan Carelse for a second week running, hoping to replicate last week's offensive success against Seattle.

Captain Billy Meakes teams up again with Mark O’Keeffe in centers; both players have extensive experience with over 107 combined MLR caps and were first-team All-Pro midfielders in 2022.

Nate Augspurger returns to left wing following an injury sustained against New England in Week 4, replacing Julian Dominguez who is unavailable this weekend. Rookie Noah Brown continues on right wing after earning an MLR First XV selection last week due to his speed and potential threat on offense. Dave Kearney starts at fullback for the first time this season after previous appearances on right wing against Old Glory DC and New England Free Jacks.

Michael Baska seeks his 55th MLR cap from the bench covering scrumhalf and wing positions while young Irish player Caolan Dooley might earn his second cap from No.22 shirt during this match-up against NOLA Gold.