Ulster Rugby Annual Report

OBITUARY REPORT WILLIAM JOHN HEWITT On the 15th May 2019, all those involved with rugby in Ulster and Ireland were v-77;m;7ꢀ|oꢀѴ;-umꢀo=ꢀ|_;ꢀr-vvbm]ꢀo=ꢀꢆo_mꢀꢇ; b ķꢀf v|ꢀv_ou|ꢀo=ꢀ_bvꢀƖƐv|ꢀ0bu|_7- ĺ

A lifelong member of the Instonians club, John had a distinguished playing career, representing Instonians, Ulster, the Barbarians and Ireland. He was also a member of the great Hewitt dynasty that has served both Ulster and Ireland rugby so well over the years. John began his rugby career at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution where his rugby talents became evident very quickly. He captained the Medallion Shield winning school side in 1942-43 and followed this up by playing on two Schools Cup winning sides in 1943-44 and 1944-45 as well as playing for the Ulster Schools XV in both these seasons. John’s talents were not limited to rugby. He played cricket for the Schools 1st XI for 3 years and also represented Ulster Schools at cricket. On leaving RBAI in1945, John joined Instonians RFC, a club he remained a loyal member and servant to for the rest of his life. He quickly established himself on the 1st XV and was selected for his first Ulster cap in 1947. During his playing career with Instonians, John won 9 Senior Cup finals and 5 Senior League titles. International recognition of John’s skills followed with his selection for the Barbarians in 1951 followed by his selection for the Ireland tour to Argentina in 1952. John played in both test matches against Argentina but, unfortunately, in those days, test caps were only awarded for games between the 8 International Board countries. His first Ireland Cap came in 1954 against England at Twickenham. In any other era, John would have won a sack full of caps but he had the misfortune to play his rugby in the same era and in the same position as Ulster, Ireland and Lions great Jack Kyle and also at a time when there was no replacements or substitutes allowed. But that did not stop him winning legendary status in his own right. He won only 4 caps for Ireland, his final cap being against South Africa in Cape Town in 1961 but according to the former Ireland Captain and international teammate Jim McCarthy, “John Hewitt would have walked onto any other international team of the era and was the second best out-half in the British Isles during Ireland’s glory years in the late 1940s and early 1950s.” An accountant by profession, he continued his lifelong association with Instonians RFC after he stopped playing and took on a number of administration roles including that of club Treasurer for many years and was President of Instonians in 1977-78. He also became his clubs representative to the Ulster Branch where he served on several committees and was an Ulster

Selector as well as an Ireland selector. His services to Ulster were duly recognised when he was elected President of the Ulster Branch in 1986-87. His involvement with Instonians continued and he managed the club 1st XV for a number of years through the 1990s as well as leading a very successful club tour to Australia in 2003. John’s health had not been great in recent years but when able, he would still go down to his beloved Instonians to support whatever club team was playing. He will be remembered for his tremendous commitment to whatever task he undertook, his great sense of humour and his total passion for Instonians. John was pre-deceased by his wife Olive and the sympathies and condolences of the Ulster Branch go out to his son Michael and daughter Gillian and the family circle.

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IRFU ULSTER BRANCH ANNUAL REPORT 2018/19