But when the COVID-19 outbreak shifted the goalposts, the ACT Brumbies assistant coach took a moment to ponder what matters most.

For Hewat, who has served as Dan McKellar's assistant and orchestrated the Brumbies' attack over the past three seasons, what matters most is family - his wife Alicia, who is due to give birth in the coming fortnight, and his boys Cooper, Chase, and Joshua.

That's why Hewat made the tough decision to leave Canberra and join the Ricoh Black Rams in Japan as the side's attacking mastermind on a two-year deal. Alongside him will be fellow Brumbies mentor Ruaidhri Murphy as Ricoh's forwards coach.

The popular mentor joins grand final-winning trio Lachlan McCaffrey [Japan], Joe Powell [Melbourne Rebels] and Tevita Kuridrani [Western Force] on the way out of Brumbies headquarters, while Toni Pulu's stint with the club has also come to an end.

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"It definitely was [hard], it wasn't a decision we made lightly. There was many a conversation with both Dan and Phil, probably for a couple of months, just about the whole process," Hewat said.

"It pretty much boiled down to the best thing for my family at this point in time. With COVID, the goalposts moved a little bit. Worldwide, everyone has sat back, taken a breath and thought about what's important to them.

"For my family, it's probably the best thing to do at this point in time. It was an extremely tough decision, we've absolutely loved Canberra, the family have loved it.

"Culture is a word used a lot within the sporting landscape, but once you're inside these four walls you actually understand how tight the culture is here at the Brumbies.

"I've been blessed to have been able to work here for three years with two quality coaches, two of the best I believe, who are world class. You've got a great group of players that you're now starting to see flourish.

"That's a proud moment, to win titles but also to see those guys achieve their goals, getting higher honours. That's a really proud moment as a coach, when you see those guys getting rewarded."

The Brumbies will retain 28 members from their Super Rugby AU championship-winning squad, which McKellar says is their smallest turnover in a decade.

Life in Japan is hardly a foreign concept for Hewat, who spent eight years at Suntory before returning to Australia to link up with the Brumbies.

"My eldest has experienced the full Japanese life, he went to full Japanese schooling, we'll look to do that with the two middle sons," Hewat said.

"They're looking forward to it. Canberra has been our home for the past three years, they're going to miss Canberra for sure."

So is there a chance the family returns to the capital down the track, potentially joining the Brumbies family again? Two years seems a world away, but stranger things have happened.

"Definitely, we'd love to come back at some stage," Hewat said.