Cowan in new role with Force
Pek Cowan will be the shock first-choice hooker for the Western Force in tonight's final trial against the Queensland Reds.
Cowan, a specialist loosehead prop, has had only 43 minutes in the No. 2 jumper in professional rugby. He came off the bench in the Wallabies' midweek match against Gloucester on last year's northern hemisphere tour, replacing Tatafu Polota-Nau.
His move to the all important hooking role highlights an area of concern in the Force squad.
The Force's only two recognised hookers, Rockingham product Ryan Tyrrell, 26, and 20-year-old Australia A schoolboys representative Ben Whittaker, have little experience of top-level rugby.
Tyrrell, who impressed with his first-up Force performance on the pre-season tour of South Africa, has a shoulder problem and has been rested for the game at ME Bank Stadium.
Whittaker, who only played 56 minutes of Super rugby in three games last season, also has shoulder soreness but is expected to play.
Cowan, 23, spent long periods of yesterday's captain's run training session practising his line-out throws with coaches before taking the lead hooker's role in the squad session.
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans handed Cowan, who has three Test caps, Australia's third hooking spot on the northern hemisphere tour behind Stephen Moore and Polota-Nau.
He suggested the move after assistant coach Jim Williams watched him throwing balls with Polota-Nau during the Wallabies training camp last May.
Wallabies scrum coach Patricio Noriega then spent time with Cowan at every training session both in Australia and while on tour to improve his throwing.
His first scrummaging at hooker was in a Wallabies' inter-squad trial.
Cowan, who admitted it had been a steep learning process, said Deans had asked him to consider covering all options in the front row.
The Queensland scrum will be no pushover tonight, having been dominant at times in their trial against the Canterbury Crusaders last Friday.
