Living the (Green & Gold) Dream!
Many things can happen in six or ten years, but for Pek it has lead to realising a dream.
Congratulations Pek, rip into them :thumbsup:
NSW Schools Sports Stories
Schoolboy eyes off the Wallabies
15 September, 2003
Narrabeen Sports High School student, Pekahou Cowan, has been selected in the Australian Schoolboys Rugby team to take on Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand later this year.
Pek, as he is affectionately known, won selection following his strong performances for New South Wales schools in the Australian Schools carnival held recently in Brisbane. He says his aim this year was to make the team - a goal fulfilled.
He is the seventh student from Narrabeen Sports High to gain representation at either Australian or Australia "A" level. He follows in the footsteps of others like Mark Gerrard, Lei Tomiki, Joshua Valentine and Luke Holmes, three of whom have played in the Super 12 competition.
Pek has represented New South Wales Combined High Schools in 2002 and 2001 as well as New South Wales All Schools Firsts and the Australian Under 17s, quite an achievement!
He cites last year's high point as gaining a scholarship with the Australian Institute of Sport and being associated with the Australian Rugby Union.
However, mixing sport and schoolwork is proving burdensome. He trains Tuesdays and Thursday, spends Mondays and Wednesdays in the gym and plays on Saturdays for the Warringah Rats and then there's schoolwork on top of that!
But given his determination these are only minor obstacles to overcome and it would seem to be the sky's the limit for Pekahou Cowan.
And finally, who is his favourite player? All Black centre sensation Tana Umaga. The mind boggles at the prospect that one day the two might meet in Bledisloe Cup action.
Cowan’s bare beginnings
21 May 09 @ 12:49pm
by Jason Avedissian
Pekahou Cowan joins Australian Rugby Union's squad who play Italy, France, the Springboks and the All Blacks.
He arrived at Newport Junior Rugby Club almost a decade ago with a ton of potential, but no boots.
It was a bit of a predicament for a 14-year-old Pekahou Cowan, but one the young teenager soon overcame.
“When I came to Sydney a mate asked me if I wanted to play rugby union for a club team near where I was living in Mona Vale,’’ Cowan said yesterday after he was named in the Wallabies’ 30-man squad for the upcoming Bundaberg Rum Rugby Series.
“He managed to convince me to come over, I didn’t have any boots at the time, he gave me some (boots) and everything just progressed from there.’’
Today, Pekahou Cowan finds himself part of the Australian Rugby Union’s squad who play Italy, France, the Springboks and the All Blacks from next month. He revealed he was out getting his car washed when the call came from selectors.
“I had the song on by Jason Mraz, ‘I’m Yours’ up quite loud on the stereo,’’ he said. “I walked back inside to my apartment and realised I had missed a call from a number I didn’t know so I thought I’d check who it was.
“As I was walking through the kitchen, I kind of realised who it was and just stopped dead. My partner said I looked a bit faint and after we chatted about it, it sunk in ... it was massive.’’
Cowan, along with Marlins flanker Matt Hodgson, was picked for Robbie Deans’ team after a series of impressive displays at prop for the Western Force in this year’s Super 14.
“I’ve got a young family and spend a lot of time away so I was looking forward to some time off, ‘’ he said.
“We were going south of Perth to the wine regions to enjoy some time away. I’ve had to put that on hold,” Cowan said.
After settling on the peninsula, Cowan first played serious rugby with his mates at the Rats before gradually making his way through various representative teams.
“I played Australian Schoolboys for two years, then progressed into the 19s,” he recalled. “Then I was given the opportunity to play with the Force.
“It’s all been a massive natural progression, now that I look back on it.”
Mark Holmes, who knows a bit about junior rugby talent after watching his sons Luke and Josh go from backyard enemies to Super 14 players, recalled seeing Pek play on the hill at Newport. “Even back then he was big ... he was good at everything he did,” he said. “He has gone from strength to strength and it is fantastic.”
Rugby: Kiwi prop latest Deans' Wallaby
4:00AM Friday May 22, 2009
By Mark Geenty, NZ Herald
Ten years ago Pekahou Cowan was striding the fairways at Wellington's Shandon club, hitting at driving ranges alongside Michael Campbell and eyeing a career as a golf pro.
But it was another Kiwi sporting icon who gave Cowan his biggest break this week, when Robbie Deans called to offer the 116kg prop a spot in his Wallabies squad.
Cowan, Pek to his mates, yesterday joined his Western Force teammate Matt Hodgson as the two newest Wallabies when Deans unveiled his first 30-man squad of the year.
Born and raised in the Hutt Valley, Cowan recalls being a year behind Hurricanes lock Jeremy Thrush at school, but rated golf as his first sporting love.
He first picked up a club at age 7, followed the spike marks of top professional Mark Brown at Shandon and was down to a four handicap by his 15th birthday.
"I was lucky enough to see [Campbell] play a few times and he was down at the driving range I used to go to. He was one of the guys I looked up to," said Cowan.
"It's a really hard sport to crack into, and I did enjoy playing rugby and league a bit more. That was where my heart was. As a kid in New Zealand you can do everything, and golf was a little bit left field. I just found I was naturally good at it."
Cowan, now 22, moved to Sydney at 13 when his father changed jobs, and after taking a golf scholarship at Long Reef on the northern beaches, the oval ball beckoned.
He was a natural, making the Australian schoolboys team in 2003, the under-19s in 2004 and the under-21s in 2005. Making the Wallabies has been his dream ever since.
But it still didn't ease the shock when Deans called last Monday and summoned Cowan from Perth to Sydney, having played all but one of the Force's Super 14 matches this year. Cowan missed the initial call because he was driving, and didn't recognise Deans' number when he checked.
"The music was on really loud. I just put a new system into my car so I was trying it out.
"I think the song was Jason Mraz, I'm Yours. It will definitely go down as one of my favourites, my good luck song.
"I couldn't believe it. I was kind of shocked. I didn't check the message until I got inside and my partner Megan was looking at me with this weird look. She said I looked white."
After three attempts, Deans finally answered.
"The first thing I said was sorry. I won't miss another call," Cowan said.
The Force scrum was solid this year and John Mitchell, the former All Blacks coach, brought out the best in his compatriot.
"He's been massive, a fantastic coach. He's not a coach who will just pick who everyone expects him to pick. He's happy to give young guys a go," Cowan said. "He's a bit like Robbie Deans in a way, he'll go on form as opposed to who you are. That's given me the opportunity and brought me here today."
