A FORMER New Zealand All Black who played for Oxford Rugby Club has died after a jet-boat accident.

Paul Sapsford, 60, was struck in the rib cage when his boat hit a bank at Lake Ohau in New Zealand on December 28.

Local reports reveal he did not seek medical help and later died of internal bleeding.

Mr Sapsford was a dentist in Oxford during the late 1970s and played prop for the North Hinksey based side in 1977.

Last night club president David Bagnall , who played at Oxford with Mr Sapsford, paid tribute to a “real character”.

He said: “Paul was not a man of many words, but he was a man of many deeds.

“He was also a very good player and it was a great bonus for the club at that time to have someone of his calibre turning out for us on a Saturday. This has come as a real shock.”

Mr Sapsford played seven times on the All Blacks’ 1976 tour of Argentina and played 86 times for Otago, one of New Zealand’s leading teams.