Juan-Pierre 'JP' Koen (born 17 October 1983) is a South African

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player who currently plays as a

prop A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

for in the

ITM Cup ITM may stand for: Education * ITM Global School, an English medium co-educational day school in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India * ITM Law School, one of the professional graduate schools of ITM University * ITM-IFM, Mumbai, India * Institut Tekn ...

and the in the international

Super Rugby Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...

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 Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

based Pirates Old-Boys since arriving in New Zealand and eventually made the Southland

side in 2012 where he made one appearance. He fully established himself as a starter during the

2013 ITM Cup Thirteen or 13 may refer to: * 13 (number), the natural number following 12 and preceding 14 * One of the years 13 BC, AD 13, 1913, 2013 Music * 13AD (band), an Indian classic and hard rock band Albums * ''13'' (Black Sabbath album), 2013 * ...

campaign and an injury crisis in the Highlanders front-row towards the tail end of the

2014 Super Rugby season The 2014 Super Rugby season is the fourth season of the 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition involving teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. For sponsorship reasons, this competition is known as Asteron Life Super Rugby ...

saw him earn a first Super Rugby cap in a 44-16 defeat by the on 6 July 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koen, JP 1983 births Living people South African rugby union players South African emigrants to New Zealand Sportspeople from Springs, Gauteng Rugby union props Rugby union hookers Southland rugby union players Highlanders (rugby union) players Rugby union players from Gauteng