Reece Hewat (born 25 September 1997) is a

South African __NOTOC__ South African may relate to: * The nation of South Africa * South African Airways * South African English * South African people * Languages of South Africa * Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the Afric ...

-born Australian rugby union player who plays for

Section Paloise Section Paloise (, Bearnese: ), commonly referred to as ''Section'' or as ''Pau'' , is a professional rugby union club based in Pau, France. They compete in the Top 14, France's top division of rugby, and the EPCR Challenge Cup. Their home g ...

in the Top 14 competition. His position of choice is loose forward.

Biography

Start in Australia (2016-2018)

Originally from South Africa, Hewat spent his formative years there before relocating to Queensland,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. His mother is Australian, and his father is of English origin from South Africa. His rugby journey began at St Joseph's College, Nudgee, where he honed his skills in junior rugby. Excelling in the local scene, he joined the

North Brisbane Rugby Club North Brisbane Rugby Club or Norths is an Australian rugby union club. The club plays in the Queensland Premier Rugby competition, and fields teams for males and females in several other grades and age-group competitions. North Brisbane has u ...

, showcasing both skill and leadership. In 2016, he joined the Queensland Reds, competing in

Super Rugby Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...

. Under coach

Nick Stiles Nick Stiles (born 17 October 1973) is an Australian professional rugby union coach and a former player for the Queensland Reds. He also played in twelve Tests for Australia as a loosehead prop. Family and early life Stiles was born in Melbourne ...

, he made his debut for the Reds, aiming to bring fresh energy to the team after a series of disappointing performances. Between 2016 and 2018, he played both in

with the Queensland Reds (only featuring in one match) and with Brisbane City in the National Rugby Championship, playing six matches. He played sparingly due to two major injuries, undergoing a double shoulder operation that kept him off the field for 9 months. Upon his return, during his first training session, he suffered a knee ligament injury, sidelining him for another 9 months. These setbacks led to him falling out of favor with the Queensland Reds coach. As he was set to join England, his agent informed him of an opportunity to become a ''JIFF'' (player developed through the French system) in France. Choosing between the academies of

Stade Toulousain Stade Toulousain () ( oc, Estadi Tolosenc), also referred to as Toulouse, is a professional rugby union club based in Toulouse, France. They compete in the Top 14, France's top division of rugby, and the European Rugby Champions Cup. Toulou ...

and

Stade Aurillacois Stade Aurillacois Cantal Auvergne (commonly known as Aurillac) is a French professional rugby union club that was founded in 1904 and currently play in the Rugby Pro D2, the second division of French rugby. Aurillac`s home matches are mostly play ...

, he opted for the latter and made his way to Cantal. His best friend, Emmanuel Meafou chose Toulouse.

Arrival in France (since 2018)

His French journey began with

in the 2018-2019 season. While he initially played with the U20 team, he quickly transitioned to the professional squad. Despite a slow start, he became a key player for Stade Aurillacois in subsequent seasons. In the summer of 2021, he made another significant move, signing with

in the Top 14. Hewat's adaptation to the French rugby style took time, but by the 2022-2023 season, he had become a prominent figure in the forward pack for Section Paloise. His contributions led to a contract extension until June 2026. Notably, in January 2023, his defensive prowess was highlighted with a tackle success rate of 96%, the highest in the Top 14.

National Team

Hewat's leadership qualities were evident early in his career as he captained the Australian Schoolboys rugby union team. In 2017, he played a significant role in the

World Rugby U20 Championship The World Rugby Under 20 Championship (known as the IRB Junior World Championship until 2014) is an international rugby union competition. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, World Rugby, and is contested by 12 men's junior nati ...

with the Australia national under-20 rugby union team, where he served as captain, playing in 5 matches and scoring 1 try.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hewat, Reece Australian rugby union players 1997 births Living people Rugby union players from Johannesburg Queensland Reds players Rugby union number eights Rugby union flankers People educated at St Joseph's College, Nudgee Section Paloise players Australian expatriate rugby union players in France