Cowan packing for Gloucester
All Blacks and Highlanders scrumhalf Jimmy Cowan will quit New Zealand rugby later this year to play for English Premiership club Gloucester.
Cowan has played 51 Tests for the All Blacks since making his Test debut against Italy in 2004 and played his 50th Test against Canada in last year’s World Cup.
Hailing from the small Southland town of Mataura Cowan is a scrappy player with an eye for the gap around rucks and mauls.
After making his All Blacks Test debut in 2004, he cemented his spot in the team in 2008, starting in eight Tests and coming off the bench in four more. He was also part of the All Blacks World Cup-winning squad in 2011 and has scored seven tries in the black jersey.
He made his provincial debut for Southland in 2000 and in 2004 at the age of 22 became the youngest player to play 50 games for his province. He made his Highlanders debut in 2003, was New Zealand’s Super Rugby player of the year in 2005 and captained the Highlanders in 2010.
Former All Blacks captain and New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) board member Graham Mourie presented Cowan with a commemorative greenstone mere on behalf of the NZRU to celebrate him becoming just the second Highlanders player (behind hooker Anton Oliver) to play 100 matches for the franchise. He has also clocked up 94 matches for his beloved Southland province.
Cowan has been forced out of the Highlanders starting line-up by the emergence of the exciting Aaron Smith who has made a big impact this season, which makes Cowan’s prospects of playing Test rugby again fairly slim.
All Blacks coach Steven Hansen commented: “Jimmy has the respect of all his teammates because of his commitment to the team and his mates and we are very proud of what he has achieved at all levels of the game. When he does go, he goes with the best wishes of the team.”
New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew said: “Jimmy is one of the real characters of New Zealand rugby and has grown so much as a player and a person since coming onto the scene more than a decade ago. He has been an incredibly loyal player – for his club, province, the Highlanders and the All Blacks – and we wish him well.”
