Peter Hewat

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Originally from Inverell in north-west NSW, Hewat is a product of Brisbane's renowned Rugby nursery, Nudgee College. In spite of this, he did not play his first game until the age of 14. A natural athlete, within a year he was playing in the first XV alongside former Queensland Red Elton Flatley. Hewat also showed great potential as a junior cricketer ultimately representing Australia at the schoolboy level. Hewat then had a short yet successful stint in the Brisbane 1st grade club competition before he began to concentrate on rugby more seriously. In 2003, Hewat represented the Potoroo's 7 A Side Rugby Team where he won player of the tournament at the prestigious Darwin Hottest Sevens. He moved on to Australian U21 duties in 1998, before representing Australia at Sevens from 2001 to 2003.

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2005 can only be described as a watershed year in the career of Hewat. Three weeks' shy of his 27th birthday he made his Waratahs debut in round one of 2005 Super 12 against Chiefs, with his breakout match coming in round three scoring 20 points against the Cats.{{cite news|url=https://www.theroar.com.au/2020/05/25/super-rugby-retrospectives-peter-hewat/|work=The Roar|title=Super Rugby retrospectives: Peter Hewat|date=24 May 2020|access-date=15 June 2024}} The leading Super 12 point scorer in his debut year, his 10 tries broke Scott Staniforth's Waratah record for tries in a season. He also smashed Matthew Burke's NSW record for points in a season, finishing with 243 points from 17 games during 2005.

Almost unbelievably, Hewat came into 2005 with just two state caps and five points to his name. He missed just one match for the season, when he was rested from the Waratahs clash with the Romanian Barbarians on the Gulf Air development tour of Eastern Europe.{{cn|date=June 2024}} On top of this, Hewat played two games for Australia A and captained Manly to within one win of the Tooheys New Cup Grand Final.

In the 2006 game against the Blues in round seven of the Super 14, Hewat moved on to second on the all-time pointscorers list for the Waratahs,{{cn|date=June 2024}} his 28-point haul in the match seeing him move on to 359 points to surpass Marty Roebuck who held the spot with 337 points. Only Matt Burke (1147) has scored more points for New South Wales.{{cn|date=June 2024}} In the same match, he also equalled Burke's record for scoring 100 season points in seven Super matches. In round eight against the Cheetahs, Hewat's 27 point haul saw him surpass 300 Super points. Two rounds later, against the Brumbies, Hewat surpassed the 400 point mark for NSW.mmHewat's haul of points in the round 14 match v Hurricanes at Sydney Football Stadium saw him register 177 points for the season – establishing a record for the most Super Rugby points in a season. Hewat's outstanding form in the 2006 Tooheys New Cup saw him awarded the Ken Catchpole Medal for 2006.{{cn|date=June 2024}} The telling impact Hewat can have on a match was again evident when he came on as a replacement in the APC match against the Western Force. He came on as a replacement in the second half and scored a quick-fire 17 points in the space of 20 minutes, equalling the record for the most points in a match by a replacement, previously set by Tim Kelaher.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

After the end of the 2007 S14 season it was leaked to the press, and Hewat himself during a speakerphone incident with Lote Tuqiri, that he was not in the reckoning for a Wallaby position and will not be included in the squad.{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/dont-dine-out-on-lote-alone-20070519-gdq6gv.html|work=Sydney Morning Herald|title=Don't dine out on Lote alone|date=19 May 2007|access-date=15 June 2024}} This left Hewat disillusioned and resulted in his decision to consider lucrative offers from overseas. On 27 July 2007, it was confirmed by NSWRU and Hewat that they had worked out a release so he could continue playing rugby over in Europe for London Irish.{{cite news|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/arid-30320799.html|work=Irish Examiner|title=Hewat to join Exiles|date=27 July 2007|access-date=15 June 2024}}

In Hewat's second season with Irish they made the 2009 Premiership Rugby Final, with Hewat scoring an early drop goal after just 20 seconds in Irish's 10–9 defeat.{{cite news|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/arid-30411090.html|work=Irish Examiner|title=Tigers sneak past Exiles to claim title|date=16 May 2024|access-date=15 June 2024}} On 12 April 2010, it was confirmed that Hewat was leaving London Irish to play in Japan.{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/my_club/london_irish/8617027.stm|title = Hewat to leave Exiles for Japan|date = 13 April 2010}}

After working with Eddie Jones at Suntory Sungoliath Hewat was inspired to go into coaching, starting as backs coach at Suntory. This was where he first met Dan McKellar, with whom he would work at the ACT Brumbies from 2017 to 2020,. After leaving the Brumbies Hewat joined Tokyo Black Rams as backs coach, before becoming head coach for three seasons. In June 2024, Hewat linked up with Michael Cheika after joining Leicester Tigers as attack and backs coach.

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• The leading Super 12 pointscorer in his debut year (2005).
• The NSW record for points in a season, finishing with 243 points from 17 games during 2005.
• Second only to Matt Burke (1147) in all-time points for New South Wales
• He equalled Burke's record for scoring 100 season points in seven Super matches.
• He surpassed the 400 point mark for NSW in round 10 2006.
• Registered 177 points for the season – establishing a record for the most Super Rugby points in a season in the round 14 match v Hurricanes. This has since been broken by Dan Carter.
• Awarded the Ken Catchpole Medal for outstanding form in the 2006 Tooheys New Cup

{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080409220654/http://www.london-irish.com/Team/1st_XV/Peter_Hewat.html London Irish profile]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20071008211624/http://www.nswrugby.com.au/HSBCWaratahs/PlayerProfiles/PeterHewat.aspx NSW Profile]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20061231125036/http://www.rugbyheaven.smh.com.au/articles/2006/04/01/1143441346043.html Article]
• [http://www.itsrugby.co.uk/player_2065.html itsrugby.co.uk profile]

{{Leicester Tigers squad}}

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Category:1978 births

Category:Australian rugby union players

Category:New South Wales Waratahs players

Category:Living people

Category:London Irish players

Category:Barbarian F.C. players

Category:Rugby union fullbacks

Category:Tokyo Sungoliath players

Category:Australian expatriate rugby union players in England

Category:Australian expatriate rugby union players in Japan

Category:Rugby union players from New South Wales

Category:People from Inverell

Category:People educated at St Joseph's College, Nudgee

Category:Leicester Tigers coaches