Hilsenbeck’s second penalty kick goal of the match nudged the lead to 20-3, and minutes later Peyton Wall’s third try of the season gave Chicago a 25-3 lead. The Hounds continued to pour it on in the second half with Nathan den Hoedt registering a try to put Chicago ahead 32-3.
Miln’s try and subsequent conversion at the 60-minute mark, followed by a try by Ed Timpson five minutes later enabled the Legion to cut the lead down to 32-10. The Hounds, however, reclaimed momentum and wound down time as they put the finishing touches on an undefeated season.
Throughout the season Chicago had the most potent offense and most stingy defense in the league, outscoring teams by an average (including playoffs) of 46-24. No other team was even remotely close—the Legion were 33-29 and that was second-best.
Take Chicago out of it and this was a very competitive league, with 14 of the 21 non-Chicago games decided by 14 points or fewer. We saw the first-ever wins for Anthem RC, the team that fields younger USA players and hope-to-be Eagles. They still finished bottom of the table, but with a couple of victories.
Chicago's run has depended strongly on some outstanding Canadian talent, not least of which was their captain, Rumbull, who is also Canada's captain.
But there was also a solid American (and Canadian) collegiate rugby support for this championship team. Rumbull (Queen's University Ontario) and Brock Webster (UVic) were the Canadian collegiate rugby alumni, while Tavite Lopeti (Saint Mary's), Noah Brown and Peyton Wall (both Indiana), Tomas Casares (Thomas More), Jackson Zabierek (UC Santa Cruz), Jake Kineevauk (Utah), and Lindenwood players Emmanuel Albert, Michael Baska, and Reece Botha.
