Cowan joins centurion club
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Western Force stalwart Pek Cowan will earn his 100th Super Rugby cap for the club when he runs out against the Chiefs this Friday in Waikato, New Zealand.
The prop began his career with the Force in 2005 as a 19-year-old and has become a fan favourite. The milestone sees him become the second most-capped Force player in history behind Matt Hodgson (113 caps) after passing inaugural captain, Nathan Sharpe (92 caps), earlier this season.
In his 10 seasons with the club, Cowan has firmly entrenched himself as one of most consistent players to pull on a Force jersey thanks to his high involvement in general play, technical ability at scrum time and leadership within the group.
Cowan’s talent has not gone unnoticed, making his Wallabies debut in 2009 against Italy in Melbourne. An outstanding 2014 Super Rugby season saw Cowan once again called up for national team duties after a three-year hiatus, earning two caps in the June Test series against the French before a further three in the Rugby Championship to take his international career tally to 10 caps.
Cowan said he is excited to notch up his 100th cap for the Force and looks back on his career to date fondly.
"It’s been a pretty long journey," said Cowan.
"Obviously I’ve been here for 10 years and in my time I’ve seen a lot of ups and a lot of downs but in terms of my 100th game it’s really exciting.
"I can remember my debut for the club really clearly, it was at Subiaco [Oval] and I came off the bench against the Waratahs. We didn’t go so well but from that day I vowed that I wanted play many more games for the Force and I’m so thankful I’ve had that opportunity to do that.
"When I came out as an 18 or 19 year old I signed a one-year contract purely because I didn’t know if it was going to be the right move for me. I quickly fell in love with Perth and the club.
"I’m so grateful I’ve been able to stay here for 10 years and play some good rugby. To play 100 games of Super Rugby is a huge achievement but do it as a one-club-player makes it even more special.
"It’s hard to put a finger on one particular highlight of my career. I think some of the most memorable games are the ones where the likes of Tai McIsaac, Nathan Sharpe, Cameron Shepherd, Richard Brown and Nick Cummins reached 50 games and obviously when Hodgo [Hodgson] earned his 100th for the club I was honoured to be a part of it.
"I’m looking forward to running out alongside all the boys for my 100th and getting to experience it again.
"In my 50th match we had a really good win over the Reds – put nearly 50 points on them – so hopefully we can get a win on Friday."
The Force will have two centurions taking to the field on Saturday as Hodgson returns from injury to run out behind Cowan in his milestone match.
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