Roy Alfred Roper (11 August 1923 – 14 September 2023) was a New Zealand

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. A three-quarter, Roper represented

Taranaki Taranaki is a regions of New Zealand, region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano Mount Taranaki, Taranaki Maunga, formerly known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the ...

at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...

, from 1949 to 1950. He played five matches for the All Blacks, all of them internationals. He later served as treasurer of the Taranaki Rugby Football Union from 1952 to 1971. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Roper served overseas with the

Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; ) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of eight ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act 1913, and the subsequent acquisition of the cruiser , whi ...

and appeared in six matches for the New Zealand Services XV in England. With the death of Ron Elvidge in 2019, Roper became the oldest living All Black. He celebrated his 100th birthday on 11 August 2023, becoming the first former All Black to reach that milestone. Roper died a month later, on 14 September.

References

1923 births 2023 deaths Rugby union players from Manawatū-Whanganui People educated at New Plymouth Boys' High School Royal New Zealand Navy personnel of World War II New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand international rugby union players Taranaki rugby union players Rugby union wings New Zealand sports executives and administrators Rugby union centres New Zealand men centenarians {{NewZealand-rugbyunion-bio-1920s-stub