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There's hope for you yet amongst the Blacks Shaun, the more exposure they get the more of an asset they will be.
Old school tie helps Ralepelle
By Bret Harris
August 3, 2006
If Chiliboy Ralepelle becomes the first black South Africa captain, as expected, it will be due in part to the philanthropy of presnt Springboks skipper John Smit.
Ralepelle, 19, grew up in Tzaneen, a black township near Pretoria, but his promise as a rugby union player saw him offered a scholarship to Pretoria Boys High.
Smit, an old boy of the school, helped to pay for Ralepelle's boarding fees.
"(Smit) had a lot to do with my upbringing as a schoolboy and he has helped me a lot," Ralepelle said in Sydney yesterday after being named on the Springboks bench for the first time.
"He was always there for me. Any fees or whatever my parents couldn't afford, he was only too willing to help. To me he is a big brother, friend, captain and a great leader and mentor. Since then our relationship has grown immense."
Smit, 28, is most impressed with the maturity of Ralepelle.
"It's amazing to see a guy who hasn't even turned 20 yet getting an opportunity with the Springboks," Smit said.
"You meet him for the first time and you don't realise he is 19 years old.
"He is as tough as a 28 year old and is as mature as one. I think he is going to stay for a long time."
Ironically, Smit may have cause to regret his patronage of Ralepelle if the newcomer becomes Springboks captain any time soon because they both play hooker.
"At the moment I'm not really focusing on being captain of the Springboks," Ralepelle said.
"I'm focusing on making the starting line-up and being the best player I can be.
"(Smit) is never going to give you his jersey easy. It's up to me to work hard for it."
Coach Jake White has no doubt that Ralepelle will one day captain South Africa.
"If you asked for a vote and I'm talking about players who play with him, they would probably pick him as captain anyway," White said.
"I'm not talking about the Springboks now, but I'm talking about players he has grown up with in the ranks.
"He has been captain of his school first XV, his under-19 side, his under-21 side, and that group of players, the guys who played with him in those colts sides, they would automatically pick him as the captain anyway."
White said Ralepelle, who is an imposing figure at 179cm and 104kg, reminded him of New Zealand hooker Keven Mealamu.
"He's the same sort of guy," White said.
"Very strong. Runs hard with the ball. I'm not saying he is Keven Mealamu, but I'm comparing the styles.
"He is not a Jeremy Paul kind of player. He is more a Keven Mealamu kind of rugby player."
Ralepelle does not know the significance of his nickname, Chiliboy, only that it was given to him by his grandfather.
Ralepelle's real name is Mahlatse, which means "blessed one" in Sotho.
And, so far in his brief rugby career, Ralepelle has been nothing if not blessed.
Last year, he captained two South Africa world championship-winning teams, in the under-19 and under-21 tournaments, playing against Australia's hooker-of-the-future Tatafu Polota-Nau.
While Ralepelle's elevation to the Springboks' Tri-Nations squad had been predicted, it still came as a surprise to the Bulls hooker.
"I got a call while I was at the airport in (Johannesburg)," Ralepelle said.
"I was actually getting a fine when I got the call that I was making the national squad. I was parked in a non-parking zone."
Race, even in the post-apartheid era, touches everything in South African life.
At the media conference to announce the South Africa team to play the Wallabies in Sydney on Saturday, White was asked by a South African reporter whether the official policy of transformation (positive discrimination) had influenced his selection of three black or coloured players in the starting line-up.
White said it had not.
But no one questioned Ralepelle's position on the reserves bench, although it is clear he is being fast-tracked.
"The thinking behind that is he has a gold medal under-19s, a gold medal under-21s," White said.
"He has been captain of the (South Africa) colts side.
"He is one of those guys who deserves a chance. He has been part of the set-up for five weeks. He has understood what we are trying to achieve.
"I've got no doubt this is not the last time you will see Chili Ralepelle's name in a Springboks team sheet."
Ralepelle will be the 11th youngest player to play for the Springboks if he gets on to the field on Saturday night, and the youngest since 1910.
"It's nerve breaking," he said.
"Just talking about it gives me lots of goosebumps.
"You have to be on top of your game. There's no time to think I'm young, I can't tackle this guy. You have to go out and give the first big hit."
The Australian
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