BRIDGEVIEW, ILLINOIS — Ollie Devoto, a center for the Chicago Hounds in Major League Rugby (MLR), will retire from professional rugby after the championship game on Sunday. The Hounds are scheduled to play the California Legion in the MLR championship match at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois.

He joined the Chicago Hounds for the 2025 MLR season. He previously played for Bath and Exeter. During his eight years with Exeter, he won Premiership and European rugby titles. He also earned two caps for the England national rugby union team. "I spent eight years at Exeter, and I had a couple of quite serious operations on my hips, and I kind of knew my time was coming to an end," Devoto said. Before joining Chicago, he played for Taunton Rugby Club in England's fourth tier.

His family, including his wife Sophie, daughter Millie, and son Archie, will be present for his final match. "I just could not think of a better way to end my career than with that special group," Devoto said.

The Hounds hold an 11-0 record after winning all 10 regular-season games this year. The team scored at least 50 points against Old Glory DC in a playoff match. The Hounds organization includes James English as chief executive officer, Peter Bernick as majority owner, and Matt Satchwell and Phil Groves as owners. Chris Latham, a former Australian rugby full-back, serves as the team's head coach, while Noel Reid coaches for the team.

The championship venue, SeatGeek Stadium, has previously hosted a championship match that drew over 10,000 spectators. On the Hounds roster, Peyton Wall and Noah Brown are from Indiana, and Lucas Rumball, Mason Flesch, and Matthew Orowu are Canadian players.

No independent assessment of Ollie Devoto’s claims was available.