Sias Koen (born 1 January 1994) 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 for the in

Pro14 The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...

on loan from in the

Currie Cup The Currie Cup is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring (June to October), featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier ...

and in the Rugby Challenge. He is a utility forward that can play as a flanker, number eight or a

lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

Rugby career

2010–2011 : Schoolboy rugby

Koen was born in

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State (province), Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legisla ...

, but grew up in the

North West The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

province. He went to Hoërskool Klerksdorp and was selected to represent the at the Under-16 Grant Khomo Week in 2010, scoring tries in their matches against Griquas and Border Country Districts. In 2011, Koen was named in the Leopards team that competed at the foremost rugby union competition at high school level in South Africa, the Under-18

Craven Week The Craven Week is an annual rugby union tournament organised for schoolboys in the Republic of South Africa. The tournament started in July 1964, and is named after the legendary Springbok rugby union player and coach Dr Danie Craven. The tou ...

. He again scored two tries during the tournament, both in a 17–40 defeat to Eastern Province Country Districts.

2013 : Leopards Under-19

In 2013, Koen was included in the squad that participated in the Under-19 Provincial Championship. He started eleven of the team's twelve matches during the regular season, scoring tries in matches against and as the team finished on fourth position on the log to qualify for the semi-finals. Koen also started the semi-final against , but the team from Pretoria won 37–21 to end the Leopards' interest in the competition.

2014–2015 : Sharks Under-21 and Vodacom Cup

For the 2014 season, Koen moved to

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

to join the academy. He started nine of the side's twelve matches in the

2014 Under-21 Provincial Championship The 2014 Under-21 Provincial Championship was a rugby union competition held between the Under-21 players from the fourteen provincial rugby unions in South Africa, plus the sub-union. It was contested from 11 July to 25 October 2014. Group A ...

, scoring a try against his former side the Leopards in a 55–41 victory and a second in a 106–3 win over . The Sharks finished in fifth spot, failing to secure a semi-final berth. At the start of 2015, Koen was included in the squad for the

Vodacom Cup The Vodacom Cup was an annual rugby union competition in South Africa. Annual Vodacom Cup competitions were played between its inaugural season in 1998 and 2015 and was contested between February and May each year. The Vodacom Cup was the succes ...

competition. He made his first class debut by coming on in the 28th minute of their match against the , helping his side to a 53–0 win. After two more appearances as a replacement against and the , he made his first start in a 24–27 defeat to in

Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; Zulu: umGungundlovu) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its Zulu name umGungundlovu ...

, before reverting to the bench for their final match against the . Koen made four appearances for the during the Under-21 Provincial Championship in the latter half of 2015, again scoring a try against his old side the Leopards in a 45–12 win.

2016–present : Griquas

In 2016, Koen joined . He made eleven appearances for the Kimberley-based side during the

2016 Currie Cup qualification The 2016 Currie Cup qualification series was a South African rugby union competition organised by the South African Rugby Union which was played between 9 April and 23 July 2016. It featured all fourteen South African provincial unions plus the f ...

, scoring his first senior try in their 36–14 victory over a , as Griquas won eleven of their fourteen matches to finish the competition in second place to earn a spot in the Premier Division of the

. He made his debut in the Currie Cup's Premier Division as a replacement in their first match of the season – against former side the – before making his first start a week later in a 30–24 victory over defending champions the .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koen, Sias South African rugby union players Living people 1994 births Rugby union players from Bloemfontein Rugby union locks Rugby union flankers Rugby union number eights Griquas (rugby union) players Sharks (Currie Cup) players Cheetahs (rugby union) players AS Béziers Hérault players