Former All Blacks hooker, Dancing with the Stars winner and vulnerable child advocate Noam Hewitt has died aged 55 after a battle with motor neurone disease.
New Zealand media reported Hewitt’s death on Monday night, following the death of his former Hawke’s Bay and Hurricanes team-mate Jarrod Cunningham from the same disease in 2007 at the age of 38.
Motor neuron disease (MND) is a progressive neurological disorder that affects the nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movement, causing muscle weakness and wasting.
This affects activities such as speaking, walking, breathing, and swallowing, ultimately resulting in serious physical disabilities.
Hewitt grew up in Porangahau, south of Hawke’s Bay, and had a memorable 13-season first-class rugby career with Hawke’s Bay, Southland and Wellington, winning 296 caps.
He made 23 appearances for the All Blacks over nine seasons and was a key member of the Hurricanes in the early days of Super Rugby, missing just one game in his first five years.
Hewitt first joined the All Blacks as back-up to Sean Fitzpatrick for the 1993 series against the British and Irish Lions, before touring Scotland and England later that year.
He made his Test debut against Ireland in the 1995 World Cup.
New Zealand All Blacks hooker Noam Hewitt was one of the toughest players to watch in the game.
The rugby great found new fans after starring on New Zealand’s winning TV show Dancing with the Stars in 2005.
Hewitt was also an decorated member of the Hurricanes in the Tasman Super Rugby competition.
Hewitt famously engaged in a haka duel with England’s Richard Cockerill in 1997 while playing for the All Blacks.
The two players were locked in a heated duel ahead of their clash at Old Trafford in Manchester.
Hewitt later described the incident, which ended in a shoving incident between the two men and set up a match for England against the All Blacks, as an anecdote deeply ingrained in ‘rugby lore’.
“It felt like there were just two of us in that stadium,” Hewitt said at the time.
‘At one point I thought, ‘If I had a baton, I would’ve cut his head off’ and I went over there. I don’t know why… it was a big game and we were at war and he was my enemy and it was a (a) kill or be killed scenario.
‘I likened it to him, and it is. I think it’s become part of the folklore now, similar to when the Irish crossed the line with Buck Shelford.’
Hewitt showed his toughness by continuing to play despite breaking his arm at a crucial moment in Wellington’s 2000 NPC final victory.
The moment when Hewitt and England’s Richard Cockerill met during the 1997 haka (pictured) is etched into rugby legend.
Hewitt had a tough life outside of football, but became a great story of redemption and an advocate for vulnerable and at-risk youth.
In 2005, Hewitt won the first season of Dancing with the Stars alongside professional dancer Carol Ann Hickmore, and a whole new generation of Kiwis fell in love with him.
The first New Zealand season of Dancing with the Stars featured a diverse cast including actor Shane Cortez, comedian Ewen Gilmore, Silver Fern Bernice Mene and celebrity-turned-politician Mayor Tim Shadbolt and Georgina Bayer.
But it was Hewitt who stole the show, performing a personalized paso doble (Spanish double step) with partner Carol Ann Hickmore.
Combining elements of the haka with exceptional footwork and posture, Hewitt earned the series’ first perfect score and gave the studio audience a standing ovation.
After discovering religion and turning away from violence and alcohol, Hewitt became a champion of leadership and an anti-violence message, creating a redemptive story for New Zealand.
In 1999, he got drunk and broke into the wrong Queenstown hotel room. He later gave a tearful apology at a press conference.
‘In 1999, I was at a crossroads and had to make some important decisions, one of which was to quit drinking,’ he said in a recent interview.
In the shocking documentary ‘Making Good Men’, the man recalls his childhood when he was a senior at Teotihuacan College and severely assaulted his classmate Manu Bennett, who would go on to become an internationally renowned actor, most notably for his role as Slade Wilson in ‘Arrow’.
Hewitt was accused of violently assaulting New Zealand actor Manu Bennett (pictured right) when they were in high school, and has contacted the actor to make amends as part of a documentary.
After retirement, Hewitt became a beloved rugby commentator and analyst in New Zealand.
Together, the two looked at what had shaped them up to that defining moment and made peace with each other and with themselves.
The documentary also ends with a powerful and touching moment of reconciliation between the bastard and his father.
Among his many charities, Norm was a ‘kahukura’ (influencer) for E Tū Whānau, a Māori initiative focused on strengthening whānau to bring about change to prevent violence.
“It’s been an amazing journey. I had to work hard as an athlete, but I had to work 10 times harder to be a father and a husband,” Hewitt told the Salvation Army.
‘There is nothing greater than that.’
Hewitt also took the stage for a guest appearance on the popular Kiwi show Flight of the Conchords, with co-creator Jermaine Clement saying: “We came up with the name Murray Hewitt by combining the names of two famous NZ rugby players, Murray Mecksted and Noam Hewitt. It made for the most Kiwi name possible.”
Tributes are pouring in on social media.
‘Rest in peace brother. You were my idol as a kid. My condolences to your family and everyone who knew you,’ one fan posted.
‘Vale Norm. Warrior. Survivor. 2000 still shines in my memory,’ another posted.
