J. P. Koen

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^[1][2] and the Highlanders in the international Super Rugby competition.^[3][4]

JP Koen

Full name	Juan-Pierre Koen
Date of birth	(1983-10-17) 17 October 1983 (age 41)
Place of birth	Springs, South Africa
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	115 kg (18 st 2 lb; 254 lb)
School	Springs THS
Rugby union career
Position(s) Prop / Hooker Current team South Canterbury Youth career 2002–2003 Falcons Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2012–present Southland 19 (0) 2014–present Highlanders 3 (0) Correct as of 20 October 2014

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.^[5] 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.^[6]