Rowan Gouws
{{Short description|South African rugby union player}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Use South African English|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox rugby biography
| name = Rowan Gouws
| image =
| fullname = Rowan Petrus Christiaan Gouws
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1995|08|06|df=y}}
| birth_place = Richards Bay, South Africa
| height = {{height|m=1.77}}
| weight = {{cvt|80|kg|lb stlb}}
| school = Hoër Tegniese Skool Middelburg, Middelburg
| university = University of KwaZulu-Natal
| relatives =
| position = Scrum-half
| currentclub =
| youthyears1 = 2008–2013
| youthclubs1 = {{Rut|Pumas}}
| youthyears2 = 2014–2016
| youthclubs2 = {{Rut|Sharks (Currie Cup)}}
| years1 = 2016–2017
| clubs1 = {{Rut|Sharks XV}}
| apps1 = 8
| points1 = 0
| years2 = 2017–2018
| clubs2 = {{Rut|Eastern Province Elephants}}
| apps2 = 2
| points2 = 5
| years3 = 2017–2018
| clubs3 = {{Rut|Southern Kings}}
| apps3 = 11
| points3 = 0
| years4 = 2020–
| clubs4 = {{Rut|Rugby ATL}}
| apps4 =
| points4 =
| amatyears1 = 2015
| amatteam1 = {{Rut|UKZN Impi}}
| amatcaps1 =
| amatpoints1 =
| clubupdate = 6 May 2021
}}
Rowan Petrus Christiaan Gouws (born {{birth date|1995|08|06|df=y}}) is a South African rugby union player who currently plays for Rugby ATL of Major League Rugby (MLR) in the United States. His regular position is scrum-half.
He previously played for the {{Rut|Eastern Province Elephants}} in the Currie Cup and the Rugby Challenge.{{SA Rugby Player Profile | id=45081 | name=Rowan Gouws | date=9 June 2018}}
Rugby career
=Schoolboy rugby=
Gouws was born in Richards Bay, but grew up in Mpumalanga, where he attended Hoër Tegniese Skool Middelburg. He represented the local rugby union, the {{Rut|Pumas}} at the Under-13 Craven Week in 2008, the Under-16 Grant Khomo Week in 2011 and the Under-18 Craven Week held in Polokwane in 2013.
=Sharks=
After school, he moved to Durban to join the {{Rut|Sharks (Currie Cup)}} academy. He played for their Under-19 team in the 2014 Under-19 Provincial Championship and for their Under-21 team in the Under-21 Provincial Championships in 2015 and 2016. He also played in the 2015 Varsity Shield competition with the {{Rut|UKZN Impi}}.
He made his first class debut in the 2016 Currie Cup qualification series, coming on as a replacement in the {{Rut|Sharks XV}}'s 32–37 defeat to the {{Rut|Border Bulldogs}} in East London.{{SA Rugby Match Centre | id=158194 | homeid=30854 | awayid=30754 | leagueid=2824 | hometeam=Border | homescore=37 | awayscore=32| awayteam=Cell C Sharks XV | matchdate=15 April 2016 | date=25 April 2016}} He made a further five starts and two appearances as a replacement for the Sharks XV in the 2017 Rugby Challenge competition.{{cite book | title=South African Rugby Annual 2018 | publisher=South African Rugby Union | year=2018 | pages=464 | isbn=978-0-620-78461-0}}
=Eastern Province Kings / Southern Kings=
In the second half of 2017, Gouws moved to Port Elizabeth to continue his rugby career. After a single match for the {{Rut|Eastern Province Kings}} in the 2017 Currie Cup First Division against the {{Rut|Griffons}} in Welkom, he appeared for the {{Rut|Southern Kings}} in their inaugural season in the Pro14 competition.{{cite web | url=http://sarugby.online/tournaments/team/id/3006 | title=Squad: Southern Kings | work=South African Rugby Union | accessdate=9 June 2018}} He made his debut in the competition as a replacement against the {{Rut|Dragons}} in Newport.{{cite web | url=http://www.pro14rugby.org/report/hallam-dee-power-dragons-comfortable-victory | title=Amos and Dee power Dragons to comfortable victory | work=Guinness Pro14 | date=30 September 2017 | accessdate=1 October 2017 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930222615/http://www.pro14rugby.org/report/hallam-dee-power-dragons-comfortable-victory | archivedate=30 September 2017 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all}} After a further three appearances as a replacement, he made his first start in their match against the {{Rut|Cheetahs}} in Port Elizabeth,{{cite web | url=https://www.pro14rugby.org/report/nico-lee-hat-trick-fires-toyota-cheetahs-win | title=Nico Lee hat-trick fires Toyota Cheetahs to win | work=Guinness Pro14 | date=13 January 2018 | accessdate=15 January 2018 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180115060053/https://www.pro14rugby.org/report/nico-lee-hat-trick-fires-toyota-cheetahs-win | archivedate=15 January 2018 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all}} eventually playing in eleven matches for a Southern Kings side that finished bottom of Conference B with just a single victory all season.
Gouws also played for the {{Rut|Eastern Province Elephants}} – the new name for the Eastern Province Kings – in the 2018 Rugby Challenge.
References
{{reflist|30em}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gouws, Rowan}}
Category:South African rugby union players
Category:People from uMhlathuze Local Municipality
Category:Rugby union scrum-halves
Category:Eastern Province Elephants players
Category:Southern Kings players
Category:21st-century South African sportsmen
Category:Sharks (Currie Cup) players
Category:Otago rugby union players
Category:Rugby Football Club Los Angeles players
Category:Rugby union players from Mpumalanga
Category:South African expatriate rugby union players in the United States
Category:South African expatriate rugby union players in New Zealand