Norm Hewitt New Zealand rugby player Date of Birth: 11.11.1968 Country: New Zealand

1. Career
2. International
3. Style and Character
4. Beyond Rugby
5. Family

Career

A New Zealand rugby union player, Hewitt played at hooker for the New Zealand national team. He attended Te Aute College and played for the Taradale club. In 1988, he became a hooker for the Hawke's Bay team, playing 92 matches until 1994, including against the British and Irish Lions in 1993 (a shock victory) and France in 1994. His performance against the Lions led to his selection for the New Zealand team, but he left Hawke's Bay after the team's relegation to the second division of the National Provincial Championship. From 1995-97, he played 22 games for Southland, then Wellington for 1999-2001 (31 matches), including the NPC First Division final against Canterbury with a broken arm. He also made 12 Super 12 appearances for the Hurricanes and represented the Māori All Blacks. In total, including for New Zealand, Hewitt played 296 first-class games.

International

Hewitt played 9 test matches and 14 non-test matches for the New Zealand team but was never a regular, due to competition from Sean Fitzpatrick. He made his debut against the Lions in 1993, and toured Scotland and England that year. He was a reserve in 1994, played in the 1995 World Cup in South Africa (coming on as a replacement for Fitzpatrick against Japan after an injury, with the team finishing runners-up). He toured France and Italy in 1995, South Africa in 1996, and Wales, England, and France in 1997. Despite injuries to Fitzpatrick, off-field incidents continued to hurt Hewitt's chances of cementing his place in the team. In 1997, he headbutted Richard Cockerill during the haka before a match against England. In 1998, he replaced Anton Oliver in the test match against England, but suffered a serious injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season. His exclusion from the 1999 World Cup squad after a drunken incident in Queenstown effectively ended his international career.

Style and Character

An undersized but powerfully built forward, Hewitt was adept at playing on both sides of the scrum. However, he was more famous for his off-field antics, which included fights and alcohol-fueled incidents. He was stripped of the Hawke's Bay captaincy after a motel incident and, after being substituted against Wales in 1997, famously abused All Blacks coach John Hart and was sent home.

In 1998, Hewitt was involved in another drunken incident in Queenstown and fought an English rugby player. He made a public apology for his actions a year later. After the 1998 incident, he gave up alcohol and became an advocate for health and fitness.

Beyond Rugby

Hewitt appeared on the first season of the New Zealand version of "Dancing with the Stars" in 2005, winning with partner Carol-Ann Hiware. He donated his winnings to the Duffy Books in Homes charity. He later worked as a support worker at Rangiura School in Porirua, Wellington. He also featured in the documentary "Making Good Men," which explored his relationship with former classmate and actor Manu Bennett. Hewitt passed away on July 15, 2024, reportedly after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

Family

A Hawke's Bay native, Hewitt spent his childhood there. He was married to Arlene Thomas, an aerobics world champion who is a fitness instructor at Jenkins Gym in Wellington.