Louis Koen (rugby union)

Louis Johannes Koen (born 7 July 1975 in Cape Town, South Africa) is a South-African rugby union player who played for the Springboks, until 2003, when he moved abroad following the World Cup.

Louis Koen
Full nameLouis Johannes Koen
Date of birth (1975-07-07) 7 July 1975
Place of birthCape Town, South Africa
Height5.9 ft (1.8 m)
Weight13.6 st (86 kg; 190 lb)
SchoolPaarl Gymnasium
UniversityStellenbosch University
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fly-half
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1996–1999 Stormers 12 (86)
1996–1999 Western Province 46 (577)
2000–2002 Cats 28 (330)
2000–2002 Lions 28 (391)
2003 Bulls 11 (139)
2003–2005 Narbonne 10 (67)
2010 Boland Cavaliers 1 (12)
Correct as of 24 June 2014
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2000–2003 South Africa 15 (147)
Correct as of 24 June 2014

Effective at either fly half or full back, his career began with Western Province, before his move to the Lions and later the Bulls. He was part of the Western Province team that won the Currie Cup in 1997, contributing immensely with his accurate goal kicking. It was this dependable boot that led to his recall to the Springbok team in 2003 after a two-year absence, but following a difficult tournament[1] and South Africa's disappointing exit in the quarter-finals, Koen was signed by Narbonne in France. After two years dogged by injury, Koen moved back to Western Province as only the second full-time kicking coach in South Africa.[2] In 2010 he was recalled out of retirement to play one Currie Cup First Division match for the Boland Cavaliers against the Valke.

Career

Provincial

Super Rugby
  • Stormers (South Africa) – 12 caps (86 points- 2 tries, 20 conversions, 11 penalty goals, 1 drop goal)
  • Cats (South Africa) – 28 caps (330 points- 3 tries, 42 conversions, 74 penalty goals, 3 drop goals)
  • Bulls (South Africa) – 11 caps (139 points- 17 conversions, 28 penalty goals, 7 drop goals)

Club

National team

He made his debut test match with the Springboks 8 July 2000 against the Australian Team.

He played four matches in the 2003 Rugby World Cup. During the game between South Africa and Samoa, as Koen prepared to take a conversion, a drunk rugby fan ran onto the field and attempted to tackle Koen, knocking himself out. Koen succeeded with the conversion.[3]

Achievements

With the Springboks

(as of 31 December 2005)

  • 15 caps
  • 0 tries, 23 conversions, 31 penalties, 2 drops
  • 145 points
  • Selections per season : 1 in 2000, 3 in 2001, 11 in 2003.
  • Participation at the World Cup 2003 (4 matches).

With club and province
  • Scored 577 points for Western Province (46 matches, 11 tries, 123 conversions, 92 penalty goals) (1996–99)
  • Scored 391 points for Lions (28 matches, 5 tries, 87 conversions, 60 penalty goals, 4 drop goals) (2000–02)
  • Scored 12 points for Boland Cavaliers (1 match, 3 conversions, 2 penalty goals) (2010)

Coaching

In February 2022, Koen, then the South African Rugby Union's high-performance manager, was appointed to assist Heyneke Meyer with the Houston SaberCats.[4]

In March 2023, Koen was appointed interim coach of the South Africa women's national rugby union team.[5]

References
  1. Baldock, Andrew (30 October 2003). "Koen pays the price". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  2. Granger, Dale (17 June 2005). "Louis Koen comes home - just for kicks". PlanetRugby.
  3. "Fan attempts tackle on player, knocks himself out - Rugbydump". www.rugbydump.com. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  4. Taylor, Compiled by Craig. "Former Bok 'on loan' to Heyneke Meyer's Houston SaberCats from SA Rugby". Sport. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  5. Skippers, David (8 March 2023). "South Africa: Louis Koen appointed as interim Springbok Women's coach". PlanetRugby. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
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