Chicago Hounds confirms 2026 coaching staff

CHICAGO, Il.- The Chicago Hounds today confirmed their coaching staff for the 2026 Major League Rugby season. Head Coach Chris Latham retained his 2025 staff after an impressive first year in Chicago that resulted in an Eastern Conference Championship appearance. For the first time in franchise history, the coaching staff remains unchanged year over year. 

Head Coach: Chris Latham

After signing with the Hounds ahead of the 2025 campaign, Latham led the team to its most successful season in franchise history. Under Latham, the Hounds posted their first double-digit regular season win total and reached their second consecutive Eastern Conference Championship game. He led Chicago to their first home playoff game, a resounding win over Old Glory DC, in the first round of the playoffs.

The Hounds finished the season with a club-record eight All-MLR selections, including a first-team selection, six second-team nods, and one player on the honorable mention list. Under Latham’s tutelage, 2024 first-round draft pick Peyton Wall earned MLR’s Rookie of the Year honors, the first individual end-of-season award in the team’s history.

Prior to signing on as Chicago’s lead man, Latham spent the 2024 season as the Seattle Seawolves’ Attack Coach. Under Latham, the Seawolves finished the regular season with the most points scored in the competition (498). The Seawolves were also one of six teams to score more than 60 tries on the season. His lone year with the Seawolves culminated in an MLR Championship game appearance.

Latham also brought prior MLR Head Coach experience to the clubhouse. He was the Utah Warriors Head Coach during the shortened 2020 season.

Forwards Coach: Todd Dammers

Dammers returns to Chicago for his second season as the Hounds’ Forwards Coach. He led the forward pack to some of the best statistical numbers the club has posted during his first season and will look to build upon that success in 2026.

With Dammers at the helm, the Hounds finished the season second in the league in lineout win percentage, winning 89.1% of their own lineouts. The defense successfully completed 2,779 tackles and posted a 79.9% tackle completion rate, both marks also good enough for second in MLR. Dammers’ breakdown experience was on display week-in and week-out, with the Hounds finishing the season with 125 turnovers won, fourth most in the league. The defense posted a 3.6% dominant tackle rate, also finishing in the top-five for the entire league.

Dammers’ coaching career began in Japan’s University league back in 2003. After three seasons,  working his way up from Forwards Coach to Interim Head Coach, Dammers returned home to Australia as Nudgee College’s Director of Rugby and Head Coach. His first professional coaching position was back in Japan with the Ricoh Black Rams, competing in Japan’s Top League. During his time with the Black Rams, the lineout functioned at 87% effectiveness, the scrum functioned at 91% effectiveness, and improved their defensive standing from ninth in the league to fourth.

Prior to the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Dammers signed on as part of the Samoan national team’s coaching staff. He oversaw their lineout and was the team’s lead coach in the tackle and collision area.

Backs Coach: Noel Reid

Hounds’ Backs Coach Noel Reid is now set for his second season as a professional coach after an impressive first foray into the role last year.

During his first season in the pro coaching ranks, Reid helped lead a cohesive Hounds attack that finished the year second in ball carries with 2,312. The Hounds crossed the gainline on 981 of these carries, a top-three mark across MLR. Under Reid, Chicago only had 103 ineffective carries, a league best. The Hounds finished third in dominant carries with 355. They finished the season with 62 tries scored. With his first season a pro coach under his belt, Reid will likely be looking to increase these already impressive stats. 

The Irishman signed with the Hounds last offseason after an impressive playing career that included stints with Leinster, Agen, the Leicester Tigers, the London Irish, the Toronto Arrows, and the Irish national team. After a season with the Arrows, Reid transitioned into a Head Coaching position at Markham Irish Rugby Club in Ontario.

In addition to Reid’s head coaching duties with Markham, he featured on the Rugby Academy’s coaching panel since its inception in 2024. Established in 2024, the high performance environment aims to immerse up and coming North American rugby players in a professional setting. Reid ran the Academy’s attack and skill sessions.

Assistant Coach: Matthew Wagner

After spending the previous two seasons as the Chicago Hounds’ Team Manager, Matthew Wagner earned promotion this offseason to Assistant Coach. In addition to his Team Manager duties over the last two years, Wagner impressed Latham and his staff as the Hounds’ Senior Academy Head Coach.

Wagner has been a staple of the Chicago rugby scene since 2019, when he first joined the Chicago Lions as an assistant coach. After one summer as an assistant coach, he rose into the Head Coaching role for the Men’s 7s program. He led the team to a 7s National Championship in 2021 and followed that up with a 5th place finish at Nationals during the 2022 sevens circuit.

After impressive showings on the Club 7s circuit, Wagner was named the Head Coach of the Men’s Loonies 7s team in Premier Rugby 7s. He enjoyed success in America’s first professional 7s competition and parlayed that into his Director of Rugby role with the Lions. He reinvigorated the club processes and structures, including their recruiting and hiring plans, budgeting for the club, sponsor communications, and worked to expand medical coverage and care for all of the players.

Prior to his time with the Lions, Wagner led Purdue University’s 7s program for four seasons, highlighted by his 2015 Big 10 7s Coach of the Year honors. In 2018, he signed on with the Illinois Women’s College All-Star team as an assistant coach. He has been climbing the coaching ladder ever since these first appointments and is now ready for his first year coaching with the Hounds.