Rugby: Hewitt's troops rally to defence

Wellington Lions rugby captain Norm Hewitt is under siege from fans and officialdom, but he still has the full support of his coaching staff and team-mates.

Hewitt has been given a caution by a New Zealand Rugby Football Union judicial committee after a hearing into alleged foul play on Auckland halfback Steve Devine.

In effect, Hewitt escaped the full impact of the charge, but was given a yellow card.

If he picks up two more during the NPC, he will be back before a disciplinary committee.

Shane Carter was ready to take over as hooker against North Harbour tomorrow and Alama Ieremia would have captained the Lions if Hewitt had been suspended.

The former All Black has also earned a public pasting on talkback radio lately for his ordinary workrate and for ending up too often in the backline.

But coach David Rennie calls that criticism totally unjustified, and Hewitt says his backline appearances have been dictated by the team's new game plan.

"We are happy with his leadership and the team is happy with it," Rennie said. "We are happy with the way he's playing."

Hewitt says he is "only doing what I've been told to do."

"We and New Zealand rugby generally are trying to model ourselves partly on ACT [Brumbies], and it took them three or four years to perfect it."

NZPA