Chicago Hounds sign Scottish lock Hamish Bain

The Hounds continued their flurry of offseason activity with the signing of Scottish lock Hamish Bain, the club announced today. The 6’7”, 255-pound Edinburgh native spent the 2024 season with Vannes in France’s Pro D2 league.

Bain cut his teeth in the Scotland Rugby Academy system, where he started in 2015 as a Stage 1 academy player. The lock moved up to Stage 2 in 2016 before continuing his progression into Stage 3 the next year. The Scotland Rugby Academy assigned Bain to Edinburgh prior to the 2017 season.

The lock’s impressive performances throughout the Academy earned him selection to the 2017 Scotland Under-20 team, competing in the World Rugby u20 championships. He earned ten caps for the U20 side and helped lead them to a fifth-place finish at the tournament. It was the highest-ever finish for a Scotland team.

After a successful World Rugby championship run, Bain signed with Stade Nicois in the Pro D2, through a partnership they developed with the Scottish Rugby union. He spent two seasons with the club, making 37 appearances in total.

After his two years with Stade Nicois, Bain returned home to Scotland, signing with the Glasgow Warriors before the 2020 season. The lock made his debut in week three of the 2020-2021 Pro 14 season against the Ospreys. Bain made seven appearances, including three starts, and played a total of 250 minutes during the campaign.

Before the 2022 season, Bain signed with the Jersey Reds, former club of Hounds’ player James Scott and former coach Rob Webber. The Scottish lock helped Jersey to a 20-1-1 record while winning the RFU Championship over the Ealing Trailfinders. He appeared in 12 games and made four starts, registering just under 500 minutes of action.

Bain returned to France for the 2023/2024 season, signing with Vannes. The team ended the season with a 17-11 record and second on the table. They earned a first-round playoff bye before dispatching Beziers in the semi-final round. Vannes then beat Grenoble in the playoff final, earning promotion to the Top 14.

Bain is expected to add experience, size, and depth to an already strong Hounds’ forward pack.