Ollie Devoto and the Chicago Hounds are seeking their first Major League Rugby title in Sunday’s championship game on their home field in Bridgeview, Illinois. The England center will finish a decorated career on Sunday as his team faces the California Legion.
A Special Day for Devoto and the Hounds
“It’ll be a special day for the team and it’ll be a special day personally as well,” Devoto said, preferring not to predict a result. “My family are coming out for one last go. As long as we give the best account of ourselves, we’ll put ourselves in a good position.”
The Hounds have certainly done that this year, winning all 10 regular-season games before putting a half-century on Old Glory DC in the playoffs. Hosting the championship game at their SeatGeek Stadium home, they’ll start heavy favorites. Average crowds run about 4,000 to 5,000 but more than 10,000 have watched a championship game at the stadium before.
Devoto’s Journey to Chicago
Devoto arrived in Illinois for the 2025 MLR season. He’d had a successful career at home – Premiership and European titles with Exeter, two caps for England – but injury brought him low. “I spent eight years at Exeter,” he said, “and I had a couple of quite serious operations on my hips, and I kind of knew my time was coming to an end. I looked at all options: France, other countries. I was close to retiring, but I missed the changing room and that sense of camaraderie. So I got in contact with Taunton.”
The Somerset club were in England’s fourth tier. Devoto loved it: “I wanted to keep the body going, and I thought I’d give myself six months and then if nothing came up, I’d either continue to play for Taunton or think about retiring. So I was very lucky that James English, the CEO at Chicago Hounds, got in contact. I jumped at that opportunity.”
High Praise for the Hounds Setup
Devoto speaks highly of the Hounds’ setup under majority owner Peter Bernick and head coach Chris Latham. “I’d honestly say the setup and the facilities that Chicago has are as good, if not better, than when I was at the Chiefs,” Devoto said. “What I mean by that is everything’s there. We’re in one place. Chicago’s winter is notoriously bad, so we were training in this huge dome, and everything was there to set us up to be as professional as possible.”
He added: “I’d say there are slightly different styles of coaching. Chris has been fantastic. He’s very honest, wears his heart on his sleeve, and he’s almost a second father figure to a lot of the team. And then also Noel Reid, he had stints with Leinster and Leicester, so I knew of him before signing but he’s been a revelation, because he brings that detail from the Premiership and from Ireland. The combination of Chris and him works perfectly, especially with the young American players being exposed to that level of detail you would get in the English Premiership. I would say that’s definitely behind our success.”
Developing American Talent
Asked to name young American Hounds who have particularly impressed him, Devoto named two men who play outside him, both from Indiana. “There’s two guys in particular who I feel have come on leaps and bounds, just in my time here: Peyton Wall and Noah Brown. They’re scoring tries for fun at the moment, and it’s no coincidence that they’re some of the most keen to learn and sort of soak it in. I guess I’d like to think that I’ve helped them in some way.”
Devoto sees potential for American rugby: “There is potential for hopefully the MLR and American rugby as a whole to grow massively. I think there’s such an opportunity there. It hasn’t been taken yet, and they’re way off competing with any other American sport, but Americans love their combat sports … and for whatever reason, they haven’t quite nailed rugby yet. I hope they do.”
The Championship Match
In the championship, the Hounds will face a California team that have survived a nomadic season, playing up and down their huge home state under Wallaby great Adam Freier. Devoto said of Chicago: “I just couldn’t think of a better way to end my career than with that special group. Peter’s has had a massive influence. You’ve got Satch [Matt Satchwell] and Phil [Groves] as well, who are also owners. They’ve been brilliant. And James English, he’s got a goal of getting the Hounds to compete with the rest of the Chicago sports teams.”
“That’s his goal. We’re way off at the moment but there’s incremental steps there, and I think we’ve got to be one of the most successful Chicago teams this season. Winning helps. You see more and more people coming, because we’re 11-0 now, looking to go 12-0.”
Life After Rugby
Whether or not the Hounds become MLR’s first unbeaten champions, Devoto’s career will be finished after the final whistle. At the end of year one he took his family traveling down the west coast. This year, he’ll wrap things up in Chicago before heading back to Britain. Devoto has been studying to be a surveyor but once home, “I’m open to anything. I’d like to try all sorts of stuff.”
“I’d never say no to rugby. The people are what I’ll miss. The aim is to get something close to that kind of environment where you’re part of something that’s much bigger than yourself. That’s what I’ll miss the most.” The MLR Championship game kicks off 8pm ET Sunday, on ESPN2 and ESPN+ in the US.
