Former All Black and Wellington Lions captain Norm Hewitt was a dynamic and infrequently inspirational hooker whose off-field fame was later vastly magnified by his charity work and a much-publicised Dancing With the Stars competitors win.
Hewitt (Ngati Kahungunu, Ngati Tuwharetoa) has died on the age of 55 following an extended, arduous, and silent battle with motor neurone illness – the identical sickness that took fellow rugby legends Jarred Cunningham, Joost van der Westhuizen and Doddie Weir.
Hewitt (1.78m, 108kg) performed 296 consultant matches throughout a memorable first-class profession spanning 13 seasons.
He represented Hawke’s Bay, Southland, the Maori All Blacks and most famously in the capital, captained the Wellington Lions to NPC glory in the astonishing 2000 final against Canterbury in Christchurch.
Hewitt grew up in Porangahau, southern Hawke’s Bay. He attended Te Aute College which was a challenging experience; exposed to violence, drugs and alcohol at a young age.
Rugby was an outlet and Hewitt made his first-class debut for Hawke’s Bay aged 20 in 1988.
Hewitt rose to national prominence with a herculean display as captain for Hawke’s Bay in their 29-17 victory against the touring British and Irish Lions at McLean Park in Napier in 1993.
A tight tussle was broken open early in the second half when Hewitt bumped off Tony Underwood in a movement that later led to fullback Jarrod Cunningham slotting a penalty. Hewitt also scored a try.
Simon Tremain played blindside flanker that day and scored a try. The leading real estate director is the son of All Blacks legend Kel Tremain and reflected in 2017: “Norm led from the front that day with a series of barnstorming runs. He was a great man to have, absolutely inspiring at his best.”
Hewitt played 91 games for Hawke’s Bay (45 wins) and debuted for the All Blacks on the UK tour later that season.
Hewitt had debuted for the Maori All Blacks in 1990 and would feature 15 times (12 wins) in the next dozen seasons. Notable international scalps included Fiji, Argentina, Samoa and Scotland.
All Black #938 played behind All Blacks skipper Sean Fitzpatrick (348 first-class games, 302 wins) which offered few Test opportunities in an era where substitutes were used sparingly.
Hewitt played nine Tests for the All Blacks, the last being in a 40-10 win over England in 1998. Hewitt made his Test debut at the 1995 Rugby World Cup, coming off the bench in a famous 43-19 pool win over Ireland which introduced Jonah Lomu to the world stage. Hewitt also started in the 145-17 thrashing of Japan but didn’t appear in the knockout games.
In 23 appearances for the All Blacks, Hewitt had 21 wins and two draws. He was part of the 1996 team that toured South Africa and won a series in the republic for the first time.
Perhaps the most memorable incident in his All Blacks career was in 1997. Before the All Blacks 25-8 win over the English at Old Trafford in Manchester, Hewitt was involved in a haka “face-off” with England’s Richard Cockerill.
Hewitt later reflected in the New Zealand Herald: “It was like there were only two people on that field,” he said. “At one point I thought to myself ‘if I had a patu [club] I might have lower his head off’ and I used to be going into that place.
“I don’t know why… it was an enormous recreation, and we had been going to battle and he’s my enemy, [a] kill or be killed situation. I likened it to that and yeah, I suppose it’s now a part of that folklore very similar to when the Irish stepped over the road with Buck Shelford.”
Hewitt was a basis stalwart of the Hurricanes, lacking simply considered one of their matches within the first 5 years of Tremendous 12. Hurricane #15 made 66 appearances between 1996 and 2001, main the Hurricanes to their first playoff look in 1997.
In Wellington, Hewitt will eternally be remembered as captain of the Wellington Lions who conquered Canterbury 34-29 within the 2000 NPC ultimate in Christchurch.
Staggeringly, 36 of the 44 gamers on show had been internationals. In Canterbury’s beginning XV the one non-All Black was winger Marika Vunibaka, and he appeared in two Rugby World Cups for Fiji.
With two tries Wellington winger Jonah Lomu received a lot of the particular person plaudits however Hewitt performed a lot of the second half with a damaged arm nonetheless managing to sort out, hit rucks, and throw to the lineout.
He was publicly pillioried for his valour by authorities ACC minister Ruth Dyson who known as him a poor position mannequin.
However in 2016 Dyson noticed issues fairly in a different way, describing Hewitt as “braveness personified” for his work in strengthening whanau to result in change that stops violence.
Hewitt is the fourth member of the long-lasting 2000 Lions group to have handed. The others are Lomu, Jerry Collins and tighthead prop Morné van der Merwe.
Hewitt’s rugby profession was immortalised in The Flight of the Conchords TV present starring Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie. Clement revealed simply final month the character Murray Hewitt (performed by Rhys Darby) was named after two rugby icons – Murray Mexted and Norm Hewitt.
Controlling anger and booze was a problem for Hewitt. He hit all-time low in 1999 when he drunkenly broke into the unsuitable Queenstown lodge room. He later broke down in tears at a press convention and apologised. It was the beginning of his pathway to sobriety.
Hewitt cathartically addressed his tumour in an explosive 2001 autobiography Gladiator: the Norm Hewitt Story. It bought over 30,000 copies.
He devoted a lot of the latter half of his life to serving to younger individuals obtain their potential.
His work noticed him grow to be a revered public speaker and work throughout a number of organisations, from Air New Zealand to Downer Group, to NZ Metal and the NZ Military, with a significant deal with employees well-being.
He was additionally a kahukura for E Tu Whanau, a Maori kaupapa that focuses on strengthening whanau to result in change that stops violence.
In 2005 Hewitt received the inaugural season of New Zealand’s Dancing with the Stars, elevating almost $200,000 for Books in Properties.
Toughness is a household trait. Norm’s brother Rob Hewitt was rescued after three nights within the sea off Porirua’s coast in 2006. The Dominion Put up reported Rob was “severely dehydrated, nibbled by sea lice, cooked by the solar and coated in boils, he was in dangerous form, along with his pores and skin peeling off him however, nonetheless, miraculously alive after 75 hours of bobbing within the water.”
Hewitt coached rugby at Hutt Worldwide Boys’ College, St Patrick’s School, Silverstream and throughout Wellington in varied age group setups.
Aaron Jones, an skilled, licensed World Rugby/New Zealand Rugby coach educator who runs Rugby Code in Wellington paid tribute to Norm on Fb.
“You will have given a lot to our younger males, Norm, and it was a pleasure working with you in our 16s house. A person who instilled high quality values and requirements among the many groups he was aligned with.”
Hewitt is survived by his spouse Arlene (a former world aerobics champion & schoolteacher), and his two tamariki, Elizabeth and Alexander, a gifted rugby participant in his personal proper.
Sources: Rugby Almanack, New Zealand Herald, Te Ao Maori Information, Membership Rugby
