the Ashes was pivotal. In the 50–12 victory, Raper had a hand in the first seven tries in the opening 25-minute routing and he gave the final pass in four of them. In his third Kangaroo tour of 1967–68 Raper suffered a cheekbone fracture in the opening 16–11 Test loss causing him to miss the second Test won by Australia to keep the series alive. Captain-coach Reg Gasnier had broken a leg in the first Test so Raper upon his return to fitness, was deputised and earned the ultimate Australian rugby league honour captaining his country in the 11–3 win over Great Britain played in icy conditions on a frozen ground in Swinton on 21 October 1967. Raper went on to captain Australia in the first and third Tests against France in 1967–68. Queenslander Peter "Pedro" Gallagher was the captain for the second Test when Raper was injured. For the 1968 World Cup Raper captained Australia in their four undefeated games of the tournament including the 20–2 victory against France in the final at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Raper's last season with St. George was in 1969 as captain-coach. In 1969 he appeared as a guest player for Auckland in a match against the New Zealand national rugby league team to mark the New Zealand Rugby League's diamond jubilee. Raper was awarded Life Membership of the St. George Dragons Club in 1971. Newcastle Raper played three seasons with the Western Suburbs Rosellas in the Newcastle competition from 1970 to 1972. He captain coached the club and took them to victory in the 1970 grand final. He finished his playing career with Kurri Kurri from 1973 to 1974. Statistics Point scoring summary Coaching career Raper returned to Sydney as coach of the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in 1975 and 1976, commencing an association with that club later carried on by his sons Stuart and Aaron. He also coached a Lane Cove Rugby Union Club team to victory in the Judd Cup suburban competition in 1977. After five games of the 1978 NSWRFL season and internal turmoil leading to the resignation of first-grade coach Paul Broughton, Raper took over as coach of the Newtown Jets in a caretaker capacity. Post football life and accolades In retirement Raper for a time played a larger-than-life celebrity role: making a record, appearing in commercials for a tyre company and the Liberal party and as an in-demand speaker