Chicago Hounds Signs Luke White

The Chicago Hounds signed Luke White for the 2023 Major League Rugby season after obtaining his signing rights in the 2022 MLR dispersal draft. The 31-year-old lock/loosehead prop is 6’3″ and 255 lbs.

Luke played 868 minutes in 14 matches, starting 11, carrying 106 times for 563 meters gained (5.3 MPC) with 108 tackles on his 122 attempts, at lock and loosehead prop for the LA Giltinis in 2022.

He played 361 minutes in 7 matches, starting 4, scoring one try, made 52 of his 55 tackle attempts, and gained 180 meters on his 30 ball carries for the MLR Shield-winning Giltinis in 2021.

Luke started all five matches in 2020 with the Colorado Raptors and was the team captain. It was his third year with the club.

During the 2019 season, he assumed a leadership role as either captain or vice-captain. He played 1,041 minutes in 16 matches, scoring 3 tries. He made 180 carries for 1159 meters with many of the carries crash balls down the middle of the pitch which opened up the wide channel for the backs. He also made 159 tackles and had 4 lineout takes and 1 steal. He had 6 linebreaks, and 4 tackle breaks and made 11 offloads.

After the 2019 season, Luke has turned to coach as an Assistant Coach at Harvard University for their Fall season.

In 2018, Luke played 416 minutes in 10 matches, starting 5, and scored 1 try. The Raptors had the best regular-season record but fell in the MLR Shield final to the Seattle Seawolves, despite beating them twice during the regular season.

White is from Sydney, Australia, and has been a key contributor at Glendale for some time. The 2019 season was an important one for him, as he became USA-eligible in January 2019. Playing for the USA National team would be an honor and an accomplishment if it is realized in the future.

White’s began playing rugby in Sydney with the Eastwood juniors. He went to high school at Saint Ignatius College, Riverview, one of the best rugby schools in Australia. The team won the GPS 1st XV premiership in both 2008 and 2009. He also spent the 2009-2010 season with the Wests Tigers Rugby League training squad. He then joined the Manly Marlins Rugby Union Club for the 2010-2011 season.

Between 2012-2015 White concentrated on his education at the College of Physical Education (ACPE), where he studied Sports Coaching and Administration. He also spent time coaching both rugby and as a former shot put champion, coaching the shot put, at St. Ignatius College and St. Aloysius College.

In 2015 he joined the Glendale Raptors and helped them to win the Pacific Rugby Premiership and was recognized for his performance with the MVP award. He also played with Glendale in 2016 before joining the Denver Stampede. After the season he resumed playing with the Raptors before the teams changed names to the Glendale Merlins for its amateur team.

Luke provides a steadying influence row in the front row. He is an unselfish player who has placed the team’s needs before his own. Although he played both prop and lock during the 2018 Major League Rugby season, the loosehead prop is his more natural position. A combination of factors led him to spend more time at lock last year. The red cards of two players and then subsequent international duty, had him moving from the front row.

In the Fall of 2018, he played in exhibition matches for the Raptors wherever needed. This was a way for the team to blend seasoned veterans in key positions, while younger players could be evaluated to see how they might be a fit for the 2019 season.

During 2019 Luke continued to play lock and in 2020 will do the same. Playing lock instead of prop helped the team, but also means that chances of playing for the USA National Team are diminished. Luke is a leader and plays at full tilt to see the team succeed.

After spending time coaching rugby at Harvard during the Fall of 2019, he returned to Glendale in time for pre-season training and assumed a leadership role again in 2020.