Former All Blacks hooker and Dancing with the Stars winner Norm Hewitt has passed away at 55, after battling with motor neurone disease. Video / Carson Bluck
Hewitt was a stalwart of Hawke’s Bay, Hurricanes and Māori rugby and played for the All Blacks from 1993 to 1998.
He famously clashed in a haka showdown with England’s Richard Cockerill before a test at Old Trafford in 1997.
OPINION
Norm Hewitt, who died aged 55, was probably like myself really, in that he was a bit rough and ready as a player and obviously very confrontational on the field. But he was certainly a good man off it. Quite quiet, unassuming, and just ordinary.
Once you get away from the field and you’re not an All Black or an England player any more, he and I were just normal folk. He was a good rugby man and I am very sad to hear of his passing. Motor neurone disease has been in the headlines in England for some time now, but I was unaware he was unwell.
Back in 1997, when we came face to face for that haka before the test match at Old Trafford, we were very much in the era of “what goes on the field stays on the field”. Between him and me and the teams collectively, there was no bad blood and the confrontation wasn’t an issue, as spectacular as it might have looked at the time. You would just chat and have a beer afterwards.
The infamous haka from 1997, after which New Zealand won 25-8. Photo / Getty Images
I was new on the international scene and that was my first start for England. Some people in the rugby world, including John Hart, the All Blacks coach at the time, were not particularly enamoured by what I did. But they were putting down a challenge and we accepted it.
For players, it is not a stress. Players don’t overthink things. And in those days, social media did not exist and you just got on with life. I was unknown on the international circuit, so I think Norm’s reaction would have been: ‘Who the f*** is this bloke?’ I certainly knew who he was.
A year later, in 1998, we played against each other again on the summer tour and met in Dunedin for a few beers. Most rugby players are from pretty straightforward backgrounds and, without camera phones and Instagram around, we could just get on with having a good night. I know that alcohol was a demon that he needed to overcome later in life when it became a problem for him, but we had a great time.
Because of that haka, we’ve been tied together and associated with a moment for the past 27 years. That is a long time. I am 53 now, just a couple of years younger than Norm, and you reflect on life as you get older. I was really saddened by the news of his death.
Over the past 27 years, I have seen Norm only a handful of times, but we shared a connection. We were rivals on the field and became friends off it. When you’re playing in your mid-20s, you feel immortal. To think his life has been cut short less than 30 years later is very humbling.
Norm has a wife and a family and I would very much like to send my condolences to them. I am very sad for this day to come.
