Alistair John "Ack" Soper (7 September 1936 – 16 June 2020) was a New Zealand

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player. A number eight, Soper represented

Southland Southland may refer to: Places Canada * Dunbar–Southlands, Vancouver, British Columbia New Zealand * Southland Region, a region of New Zealand * Southland County, a former New Zealand county * Southland District, part of the wider Southland Reg ...

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 ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 ...

, on their 1957 tour of Australia. He played eight matches for the All Blacks on that tour, but did not appear in any internationals. He served as president of the Southland Rugby Union in 1985. Soper played for the English club

Blackheath Blackheath may refer to: Places England *Blackheath, London, England ** Blackheath railway station **Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England *Blackheath, Surrey, England ** Hundred of Blackh ...

in the 1960–61 season. Soper died in Invercargill on 16 June 2020, aged 83.

References

1936 births 2020 deaths Rugby union players from Invercargill People educated at Waitaki Boys' High School New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand international rugby union players Southland rugby union players Rugby union number eights New Zealand sports executives and administrators Blackheath F.C. players {{NewZealand-rugbyunion-bio-1930s-stub