Full name Juan-Pierre Koen Years Team Weight 115 kg 2002–03 Falcons Height 1.83 m | Playing position Role Rugby union player School(s) attended Springs THS Name JP Koen | |
Born 17 October 1983 (age 40)
Springs, South Africa ( 1983-10-17 ) Current club Southland / Highlanders | ||
Juan-Pierre 'JP' Koen (born 17 October 1983) is a South African rugby union player who currently plays as a prop for Southland in the ITM Cup and the Highlanders in the international Super Rugby competition.
Career
Born and raised in South Africa, Koen played his youth rugby for the Falcons in his home province. However, a lack of domestic opportunities saw him move to New Zealand in 2004. He has played club rugby for the Invercargill based Pirates Old-Boys since arriving in New Zealand and eventually made the Southland ITM Cup side in 2012 where he made one appearance. He fully established himself as a starter during the 2013 ITM Cup campaign and an injury crisis in the Highlanders front-row towards the tail end of the 2014 Super Rugby season saw him earn a first Super Rugby cap in a 44-16 defeat by the Waratahs on 6 July 2014.