Reece Hewat (born 25 September 1997) is a South African-born

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player who plays for

Section Paloise Section Paloise (), often referred to simply as la Section or Pau (), is a professional rugby union club based in Pau, France. They are participants in the Top 14, France's premier rugby division, and also compete in the EPCR Challenge Cup. The ...

in the

Top 14 The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the National Rugby League (France), France National Rugby League, also ...

competition. His position of choice is loose forward.

Biography

Start in Australia (2016-2018)

Originally from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, Hewat spent his formative years there before relocating to

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. His mother is Australian, and his father is of English origin from South Africa. His rugby journey began at

St Joseph's College, Nudgee St Joseph's Nudgee College (commonly referred to as Nudgee College or simply Nudgee) is an independent Catholic primary and secondary day and boarding school for boys, located in Boondall, a northern suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Th ...

, 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 The Queensland Reds is the rugby union team based in Brisbane for the Australian state of Queensland that competes in the Southern Hemisphere's Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996, they were a representative team selected from the rugby union ...

, 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 has previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Super Rugby started as the S ...

. 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 Melbourn ...

, 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

(only featuring in one match) and with Brisbane City in the

National Rugby Championship The National Rugby Championship, known as NRC, was an Australian rugby union competition. It was contested by eight teams, seven from Australia and one from Fiji. The tournament ran from 2014 until 2019 before being disbanded in 2020 following t ...

, 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 England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, his agent informed him of an opportunity to become a ''JIFF'' (player developed through the French system) in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Choosing between the academies of

Stade Toulousain Stade Toulousain () (), 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. Toulouse is the most successfu ...

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 Pro D2, the second division of French rugby. Aurillac`s home matches are mostly played at ...

, he opted for the latter and made his way to

Cantal Cantal (; or ) is a rural Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of France, with its Prefectures in France, prefecture in Aurillac. Its other principal towns are Saint-Flour, Cantal, Saint-Flou ...

. 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

. 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 The Australian Schoolboys & U18 rugby union team is the national team for schoolboy rugby union & U18 players in Australia. Considered to be the pinnacle of schoolboy & U18 rugby in Australia, the team plays in fixtures against other national r ...

. 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 annual international rugby union competition. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, World Rugby World Rugby is the governing ...

with the

Australia national under-20 rugby union team The Australia national under-20 rugby union team, nicknamed the Junior Wallabies, is the national under-20 rugby union team that represents Australia. The team has been competing at the annual World Rugby U20 Championship since it began in 200 ...

, 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 21st-century Australian sportsmen