Former All Blacks hooker Norm Hewitt, who had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease, has died aged 55, New Zealand Rugby said on Tuesday.
Hewitt played 23 times for the All Blacks, including nine Tests, after he was first selected as an understudy to Sean Fitzpatrick for the 1993 series against the British Irish Lions.
In 1997, Hewitt had an intense face-to-face showdown with England's Richard Cockerill during the haka before a match at Old Trafford.
Hewitt later described the incident, which ended with pushing and shoving between the pair, as an ingrained part of 'rugby folklore'.
Researchers have found that professional rugby players are as much as 15 times more likely to develop motor neurone disease.
