The oldest living All Black Roy Roper stands in front of his 1950 team photo at the New Zealand Rugby Museum in 2012. Photo / Stephen Berg / NZ Rugby Museum
Roy Roper, the oldest living All Black at 98, and latest All Black debutant Josh Lord, 20, were both born in the small King Country township of Ōwhango and are the town's only All Black representatives.
Roper, All Black No 515, was born in 1923 and spent three years in Ōwhango, just south of Taumarunui, before moving to Taranaki where he spent more than 90 years.
These days the former All Black winger lives in the Hawke's Bay with son Stuart and family.
"I lived in one of the railway station cottages just across from the little station that was there. It was mainly a timber town at that stage," says Roper.
"I've been back there once and there and had a meal in the pub and met the mayor. There were a lot more people there than when I was born."
All Black No 1199 Lord was born in 2001 and brought up on his parents' dairy farm in Ōwhango.
His father Matt is a former Thames Valley, North Harbour and Blues lock and has played a big part at Ōwhango School over the years coaching their sports teams.
"It's a bit unusual isn't it? I didn't think there would be another All Black from Ōwhango but I'm wrong. You never know in this day and age," says Roper.
Roper was educated at New Plymouth Boys' High School, and Lord went to Hamilton Boys' High School.
Roper was in the 1st XV for two years and captained the side in 1941.
After leaving school Roper quickly broke into first class rugby for Services teams, scoring five tries in one match despite being up against by another future All Black, Johnny Smith.
A member of the Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II, Roper played a handful of games in Great Britain and Europe.
"I played a few games [six games over 1944-1945] in Britain for the New Zealand Services team and I played one game in Brussels for the Australian Air Force against the British Liberation Army team, it was one of those games during the war years where they pulled you aside and said "can you play this Saturday?" sort of style, and if you were available, they put you in the team," he says.
"They gave me an Australian Air Force uniform and flew me across to Brussels. I also played for the New Zealand Services team in France against Paris University in 1944.
"I got a bit of rugby in, but not much during the war years as I was at sea."
Against Paris University was the only time he performed the haka.
Another commonality Roper and Lord have is representing the Taranaki provincial side.
Roper played for the side from 1944-1950 after returning from war and 1946 also saw him play for Taranaki-King Country against Australia.
Roper played 23 first-class games for Taranaki, scoring 17 tries. All of these were played out of the HSOB club (now New Plymouth Old Boys) - apart from one appearance out of the Tukapa club in 1944.
Injury caused him to miss most of the 1947 season when his career was just developing, but he returned to the Taranaki side in 1948.
Lord made his Taranaki debut in 2019 out of the Coastal club and has played 19 games to date.
A New Plymouth-based chartered accountant, Roper stayed involved in the team even after retirement, becoming treasurer of the Taranaki Rugby Football Union from 1952-1971.
Roper says rugby these days is completely different to how they played, especially as the professional game didn't come into fruition until almost half century after his retirement.
"The Taranaki boys virtually played all their sport and rugby in Taranaki and I was a Taranaki boy. I captained Taranaki in 1949-1950. It was a pretty strong team in those days. Lots of good, cow cocky forwards," says Roper.
"The Taranaki forwards had a reputation. It was the days when the forwards dribbled the ball along the ground and kicked the hell out of you if you went down in the ball, up to the stages where the forwards got a bit more upright and ran with the ball more."
Roper, who is not far off a letter from the Queen, played for the All Blacks in 1949 and 1950 before "giving rugby away" because of a bad knee injury.
He made his debut on September 24, 1949 against Australia at age-26, 72 years before second-rower Lord would make his first test appearance on October 23, 2021.
"Playing generally and getting selected was the highlight. The games were just like any other rugby game. You did your best; you worked with the guys around you," says Roper.
"The first game was interesting; we lost our fullback after 15 minutes and played with 14 men for the rest of the time. There were no replacements then. Coaches couldn't get onto the ground at halftime. They sent out a couple of little oranges to suck at halftime, five minutes and that was it. It was pretty basic in those days.
"I was selected on the left wing and I had 15 minutes there in 1949 against the Aussies. Then Johnny Smith put me to fullback when the fullback went off. So, I had 25 minutes at fullback.
"At halftime a message came out with the oranges that I was to go to centre. So, I played the second half at centre. I became versatile at a young age."
Although New Zealand lost 9-16 to Australia, Roper scored his side's only try.
"I went to the trials in 1950 and got into the 1950 side against the British Isles. I played in the four tests."
He scored tries in the two early tests and was mentioned in the 1951 Rugby Almanack of New Zealand as "New Zealand's outstanding back in the series, revealing all the speed and initiative which he has displayed in the past".
Roper played just the five tests for the All Blacks before his retirement and was named in the Rugby Almanack New Zealand XV of 1950.
It was said that at the time of his knee injury he was playing at his best and although he continued to play club rugby for a number of seasons, he never played representative rugby again.
Roper also competed as a sprinter and jumper, gaining a third placing in the hop, step and jump at the New Zealand championships, while his son Guy was a midfielder for Manawatū and New Zealand Universities in 1978.
Lord has played two tests so far, with plenty of time left on his side as he turns 21 in January.
To date, no All Black has made it to triple digits, but our oldest living All Black Roper looks to be a great candidate.
STATISTICS:
• Roper was 77 when Lord was born.
• Lord made his Taranaki debut 73 years after Roper.
• Lord made his All Blacks debut 72 years after Roper.
• There were 684 All Blacks between their debuts.
• Ōwhango is now a town of 200 people, but in Roper's day there were fewer than 30 residents.
The additional seating will increase the capacity of Mt Smart to nearly 29,000