Rugby: Follow dream - Hewitt

Former All Black Norm Hewitt makes a point at yesterday's Ross Shield tournament breakfast in Hastings. Photo / Paul Taylor

Norm Hewitt knew from the age of 7 he was going to be an All Black.

"Every one of you boys can be an All Black. Every one of you girls can be a Black Fern ... you just have to engage the heart and put everything into it," Hewitt told the Ross Shield rugby tournament breakfast in Hastings yesterday.

A 1981 Central Hawke's Bay Ross Shield player, who went on to play 296 first class matches including 23 for the All Blacks, Hewitt, 46, said the tournament was the beginning of his rugby journey.

It was a journey which took him to Buckingham Palace and one which enabled him to meet people such as the Queen, the late Princess Diana, the late Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali.

"I remember having to lose 9kg and crying because I was so hungry. I remember weighing-in in my undies," Hewitt recalled.

The product of Porangahau and Mangaorapa schools and Te Aute College stressed the importance of a player's heart and "the top two inches".

"Use those key ingredients right and anything can happen. It's on the day ... today matters, not what has happened previously.

"Nobody chose Japan to upset South Africa in the World Cup," Hewitt reminded the crowd of 220.

One of his "special moments" was captaining the Magpies to a 29-17 win against the 1993 British Isles team at Napier's McLean Park. That was the year All Black and Magpies legend Kel Tremain, who was a prominent Bay administrator, drove him to the first of his All Black trials, in Palmerston North.

"I remember Kel telling me I would be an All Black but I just had to tidy my rough edges."

-Napier's Treyah Kingi-Taukamo set a new day point-scoring record with 38 in his team's 103-0 walloping of Dannevirke in the first game on Day 3 of the Heinz Wattie's-Hastings Pak'n Save-sponsored 114th edition of the annual tournament at Lindisfarne College yesterday. Kingi-Taukamo scored two tries and converted 14 of his team's 15 tries.

As the score suggests, it was a top team effort from the title favourites, who retained the Steve Cottrell Memorial Cup. Dannevirke never gave up and almost scored a try during the final minutes.

Wairoa took the Tino Amato Shield off Central with a 17-7 win. Wairoa openside flanker Kaihau Pasikala was the player-of-the-match.

Flanker Guy von Dadelszen was prominent in the Central pack. Vice-captain and first five-eighth Pryce Chamberlain and second five-eighth Bradley Roys-Smith combined well in the Central backline.

Defending champions Hastings East retained the Bill Mathewson Memorial Trophy with a 26-18 win over Hastings West in the "Battle of Hastings".

East's forwards set the platform for the victory and hunted well as a pack, with player-of-the-match, blindside flanker Crighton Murphy, inspirational.

Second five-eighth Cleveland Cassidy-Waapu was the best of the East backs. Fullback Elijah Mataira and second five-eighth Deijah Tuliau made the most of their opportunities in the West backline, while prop Mitchell Curran was a workaholic in the losing pack.

Day 3 results

•Napier 103 (Jamie Ross 2, Tipene Maxwell 2, Treyah Kingi-Taukamo 2, Kere Penitito 2, Anthony Faumui, Eli Rore, Phillip King-Panapa, Kunta Tawhai, Tommy Fergusson, Jayden Stok, Tama Chapman tries; Kingi-Taukamo 14 cons) Dannevirke 0. HT: 68-0.

•Wairoa 17 (Kaihau Pasikala, Holden Jane, Hani CeJay Waiwai tries; Waiwai con) Central 7 (Ben White try; Will Laver con).
HT: 0-all.

•Hastings East 26 (Cleveland Cassidy-Waapu, A-One Lolofie, Crighton Murphy, Manaia Lambert tries; Art Thompson 3 cons) Hastings West 18 (Elijah Mataira 2, Deijah Tuliau tries; Mataira pen). HT: 14-10.

•Points: Napier 6, Hastings East 4, Hastings West 4, Wairoa 4, Central 0, Dannevirke 0.