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Anthem’s forwards were no match for an overwhelming Chicago pack as the Hounds romped to a 59-26 victory on Sunday. Dylan Fawsitt and Jason Higgins each recorded hat tricks for the visitors, who set new franchise marks for tries and points scored on the back of their dominant set piece.
It didn’t take long for Fawsitt to get his first score, crossing on the end of a driving maul at the six-minute mark. Higgins was right behind him, slipping through a gap on the edge of a ruck for his first of the day. By the first hydration break the Hounds were up 21-nil thanks to a second from Fawsitt after he broke from the back of a lineout drive to fall over the line.
Shortly after it was a set move from a lineout that did the trick. This time Fawsitt looped around the maul to attack the short side. Billy Meakes was there in support, and he offloaded to Nate Augspurger for a runaway finish to secure the bonus point with just 24 minutes on the clock.
The visitors finally had something to cheer about when Conor McManus went quick at a penalty, breaking free from just inside halfway. Te Rangatira Waitokia was there in support to beat the last man. Waitokia and McManus were then in on the act again with a little help from Oscar Koller to put Chicago on the back foot. McManus hit Dylan Fortune with a flat ball from a ruck for a second Anthem score.
Before the halftime whistle could sound Chicago were in for their fifth try. It was Fawsitt with his treble, steering a rolling maul over the line to give the home side a convincing 31-12 lead after 40 minutes. Fawsitt nearly had a fourth early in the second half but Anthem this time held him out. The Hounds then lost Julián Domínguez to what looked like an ankle injury, having already seen Dave Kearney limp off with a bad hamstring.
Tries for both teams followed. A huge gap left in the midfield allowed Bryce Campbell a free run, with the pass finding Higgins in support for his brace. Anthem replied with a long sequence that gained momentum on a Waitokia break, with Koller slipping through to touch down under the posts.
Another exchange came at the hour mark. Fawsitt turned to try-maker when he sent Higgins free his third after another maul had gained ground. Not long after McManus picked out Joe Apikotoa with a flat pass and nobody was interested in stopping the rampaging prop who secured a four-try bonus for Anthem.
Chicago would add two more tries to pad their score in the final minutes. Mike Matarazzo barged through a couple weak tackle attempts to score the first after Noah Brown put Anthem on the back foot. The final say would appropriately go to the Hounds pack, with Janus Venter doing his best Fawsitt impression to score on the end of another driving maul.
It’s a much-needed bye week for Anthem, who will regroup before returning to action for a home tilt against the NOLA Gold on Saturday, April 27. The Hounds will look to keep their momentum rolling as they welcome RFC Los Angeles to Dawg Town next Sunday.
| SCORING |
CHICAGO 59
Tries (9) – D. Fawsitt 3 (6′, 19′, 40′), J. Higgins 3 (12′, 52′, 58′), N. Augspurger (24′), M. Matarazzo (76′), J. Venter (80’+1′)
Cons (7) – A. Carelse 5/7 (7′, 13′, 20′, 53′, 59′), C. Dooley 2/2 (77′, 80’+2′)
CAROLINA 26
Tries (4) – T. Waitokia (27′), D. Fortune (36′), O. Koller (55′), J. Apikotoa (61′)
Cons (3) – O. Koller 1/2 (28′), No kick 2 (55′, 61′)
| LINEUPS |
CHICAGO HOUNDS
1 Charlie Abel (17 Fred Apulu 50′), 2 Dylan Fawsitt (16 Janus Venter 59′), 3 Paddy Ryan (18 Ignacio Péculo 50′), 4 Ben Landry, 5 George Merrick (19 Brad Tucker 55′), 6 Lucas Rumball, 7 Maclean Jones, 8 Luke White (20 Mike Matarazzo 63′), 9 Jason Higgins (22 Caolan Dooley 59′), 10 Adriaan Carelse, 11 Julián Domínguez (21 Michael Baska 50′), 12 Billy Meakes (capt.), 13 Bryce Campbell, 14 Nate Augspurger, 15 Dave Kearney (23 Noah Brown 28′)
ANTHEM CAROLINA
1 Jake Turnbull (capt.) (17 Ivan Pula 71′), 2 Connor Robinson (16 Dan Hanson 74′), 3 Joe Apikotoa (18 Mika Felix 67′), 4 Lucas Gramlick (19 Braemar Murray 50′), 5 James Rivers, 6 Shneil Singh, 7 Albert O’Shannessey, 8 Dylan Fortune (20 Michael Ma’afu 62′), 9 Conor McManus (21 Sean Yacoubian 67′), 10 Oscar Koller (22 Shane Barry 71′), 11 Cael Hodgson, 12 Junior Gafa, 13 Te Rangatira Waitokia, 14 Tyren Al-Jiboori (23 Ulu Niutupuivaha 62′), 15 Cliven Loubser
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Sunday, April 14
Venue: SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview
Kickoff: 15:00 local
Weather: sunny, 81°F (27°C), wind N 7-11mph (11-18km/h)
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Kahlil Harrison (USA)
Assistants: Luke Rogan (USA) & Andrew Dunn (USA)
TMO: Chris Assmus (Canada)
