John William Raper MBE (12 April 1939 – 9 February 2022) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer and coach.

[2] Raper captained Australia on eight occasions from 1967 to 68 and played in eight consecutive NSWRFL first-grade grand final victories for the St George Dragons club.

[7] During the 1958 season he had his first taste of representative football against elite opposition when selected to play for combined Sydney against the visiting Great Britain team and then for New South Wales Colts against the British tourists.

While St George's early adoption of circuit training in the late 1950s was a major contributing factor in their eleven-year premiership run, Raper's own commitment to additional running and weights every day and often alone, enabled him to achieve a personal goal of being the fittest player in the fittest team in the competition.

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.

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.

[2] Point scoring summary 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.

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 and guest on radio and TV talk shows.

On 20 July 2022, Raper was named in the St. George Dragons District Rugby League Clubs team of the century at lock.

Ron played a 128-game career for Canterbury over seven seasons from 1966, kicking a field-goal from the halfway line in their 1967 Grand final loss to South Sydney.