Force prop answers Wallaby SOS
Western Force prop Pek Cowan has been added the Wallabies matchday 22 for their clash with Samoa in Sydney on Sunday.
The four-Test front row forward has been named on the bench after joining the Australian training camp this week following a knee injury Benn Robinson.
The Australian team initially had a TBC in the No.17 jersey, but Cowan’s name was added to the list on Friday.
Cowan was in superb form for the Western Force this season and considered unlucky not to be part of the initial Wallabies squad.
Since the end of the Super Rugby season he has continued to train hard and was one of the best for Warringah in the New South Wales First Grade last weekend and this week beat off the challenge Waratahs veteran Al Baxter to tackle Samoa.
He joins fellow Western Force forwards Nathan Sharpe, Matt Hodgson and Ben McCalman in the Wallabies 22.
Cowan made his debut for the Australia in Melbourne against Italy in 2009 and played the most recent of his four test appearances at the start of last year’s domestic test programme against Fiji in Canberra.
The 25-year-old is one of the star forwards at in Perth and this season signed a new three year deal that will keep him in WA until at least the end of the 2014 season.
Australia – confirmed: 15 Mark Gerrard, 14 James O’Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 Matt Hodgson, 6 Rocky Elsom (captain), 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Sitaleki Timani, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Sekope Kepu.
Replacements: 16 James Hanson, 17 Pek Cowan, 18 Dan Vickerman, 19 Scott Higginbotham, 20 Beau Robinson, 21 Will Genia, 22 Kurtley Beale.
Date: Sunday, July 17
Venue: ANZ Stadium, Sydney
Kick-off: 14.00 AEST (04.00 GMT)
Referee: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Keith Brown (New Zealand), Vinny Munro (New Zealand)
