Chili cure for Springbok ills

Last night's Australia-South Africa Tri Nations clash was notable for a cool young man with a hot name sitting on the bench, as much as for the result of this All Blacks-dominated series.

Mahlatse "Chiliboy" Ralepelle, in the test 22 for the first time last night, is widely regarded as the new face of Springbok rugby - and the man who just might surmount the ills which assail South African rugby at present, race being the most pressing.

At 19 years old, 1.79m and 104kg, Chiliboy has been compared to All Black Keven Mealamu in style - a squat hooker of powerful stature and surprising speed. Chiliboy is a family nickname - and one which the bearer of the title says he does not know the origins of; only that it was given to him by his grandfather.

But if there might be room for speculation about his nickname, there is little doubt of the hopes held for him by South African rugby.

Springbok coach Jake White was recently in trouble over comments - which he held were misquoted - that Springbok flanker Solly Tyibilika was a "transformation" player. In the curious language of post-apartheid South Africa, transformation players are black players whose place in the side would not normally be assured.

Officially, South Africa has no quota or transformation players. Unofficially, there is pressure on White to include players who will ease rugby from a mostly white sport to one more representative of its racial make-up.

Easier said than done, of course, and the clear feeling is that South Africa has been disadvantaged by having to field players who might not be in their strongest line-up on merit.

Interestingly, no one is talking of Chiliboy Ralepelle in that way.

He is regarded as a future Springbok captain. His opportunities remain rare right now as current captain John Smit is also a hooker.

But Ralepelle's name was noticeably absent this week as reporters quizzed White about the racial make-up of the side and who the transformation players were.

White was asked to confirm or deny last week that he had been instructed to pick five black players for this test match. He did not get the chance to respond, as Springbok communications manager Vusi Kama shut down the matter.

The questions followed the leaking of a document, supposedly written by White to the South African Rugby Union, asking that it accept responsibility for the selection process of the Springbok team and asking for the public release of a directive given to him about transformation players.

The appeal of Chiliboy is that he stands above all this. People on both sides of the racial divide agree he is a potential Springbok captain, likely the first black Springbok skipper, after his captaincy of his school first XV (Pretoria High School - the same school as Smit) and Springbok world championship winning teams at under-19 and under-21 level.

"If you took 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.

Smit said: "It's amazing to see a guy who hasn't even turned 20 yet getting an opportunity with the Springboks. You meet him for the first time and you don't realise he is 19. 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."

Ralepelle has been quiet on his elevation to the Springboks. It is partly rugby tradition - the new boys keep their heads down and their mouths shut - but is also recognition he will not be playing regularly any time soon while the Springbok skipper is around.

"John [Smit] had a lot to do with my upbringing as a schoolboy and he has helped me a lot," Ralepelle told Fox Sports in Sydney. "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 immensely.

"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.

"John Smit is never going to give you his jersey easy. It's up to me to work hard for it."

While some at Pretoria High feel Ralepelle will be a greater player than Smit, there are others in South Africa who think the young man is being fast-tracked too early and that all front row players need time to develop.

But it just may be that the political and ethnic pressures of South Africa will not wait for that - meaning Chiliboy Ralepelle may have one of the biggest burdens to shoulder in rugby history.