Chiliboy Ralepelle
Encyclopedia
Mahlatse "Chiliboy" Ralepelle (born 11 September 1986 in Tzaneen
, South Africa
), generally referred to by his nickname, is a South African rugby union
footballer. His usual position is at hooker. He plays for the Blue Bulls
in the Currie Cup
club competition and the Bulls in the international Super 14
competition.
, Ralepelle was a member of the under-15s squad in 2001, and went on to play for the SA Schools team then next year. He played for the SA Schools team again in 2003, and went onto play for South Africa under-19s in 2004.
He was a member of both the victorious under-19 and under-21 South African sides in 2005. Also in 2005, he made his senior provincial debut for the Blue Bulls. He made his debut for the Bulls in the 2006 Super 14 season
, coming on as a replacement in two matches, then going back to the Vodacom Cup to further develop.
Ralepelle captained the under-21 Springboks at the 2006 Under 21 Rugby World Championship
in France
. South Africa made it to the final of the tournament, but were defeated by the hosts, France. He was subsequently included in the Springboks' 2006 Tri Nations Series
squad, something which had been widely speculated within the media.
Head coach Jake White
named Ralepelle on the bench for the second test against Australia, in Sydney. However it would be in Pretoria when he would make his Springbok debut on 26 August, coming off the bench as a replacement. He was an unused bench replacement in the final two Tri Nations games as well.
Ralepelle was then included in the South African squad for the tour to the Northern Hemisphere. He was an unused bench replacement in the match against Ireland
, and the first Test against England
. He then came off the bench in the second Test at Twickenham
. For the last match of the tour, Ralepelle was named as captain for the match against the World XV
at Walkers Stadium
in Leicester
, and thus becoming the first black and the youngest player to captain the national team.
On 15 November 2010, Ralepelle was suspended and sent back to South Africa from England following a positive drugs test. The result was traced to a bad batch on Energy drinks supplied to the South African rugby team by the UK arm of their regular South African supplier.
Tzaneen
Tzaneen is a small town situated in the Mopani district of the Limpopo province in South Africa. It is in a fertile region with tropical and subtropical agriculture taking place in a 20,000 km² region...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
), generally referred to by his nickname, is a South African rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
footballer. His usual position is at hooker. He plays for the Blue Bulls
Blue Bulls
The Blue Bulls, for sponsorship reasons known as the Vodacom Blue Bulls, or more popularly by their Afrikaans name die Blou Bulle, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament...
in the Currie Cup
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring , featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces...
club competition and the Bulls in the international Super 14
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
competition.
Career
A pupil at Pretoria Boys High SchoolPretoria Boys High School
Pretoria Boys High School, also known as Boys High or PBHS, is a public, fee charging, English medium high school for boys located in Brooklyn, Pretoria, in the Gauteng province of South Africa....
, Ralepelle was a member of the under-15s squad in 2001, and went on to play for the SA Schools team then next year. He played for the SA Schools team again in 2003, and went onto play for South Africa under-19s in 2004.
He was a member of both the victorious under-19 and under-21 South African sides in 2005. Also in 2005, he made his senior provincial debut for the Blue Bulls. He made his debut for the Bulls in the 2006 Super 14 season
2006 Super 14 season
The 2006 Super 14 season started on Friday 10 February 2006. The Grand Final was held on Saturday 27 May 2006. Super 14 is a provincial rugby union competition with 14 teams from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. This season was the first of the expansion, which saw two new teams, the...
, coming on as a replacement in two matches, then going back to the Vodacom Cup to further develop.
Ralepelle captained the under-21 Springboks at the 2006 Under 21 Rugby World Championship
2006 Under 21 Rugby World Championship
The 2006 Under 21 Rugby World Championship was played in the Auvergne region of France throughout June 2006. The final was played between South Africa and France at the Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin in Clermont-Ferrand, which saw France win 24 to 13....
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. South Africa made it to the final of the tournament, but were defeated by the hosts, France. He was subsequently included in the Springboks' 2006 Tri Nations Series
2006 Tri Nations Series
-Week 2:-Week 3:-Week 4:* All Blacks retain Bledisloe Cup-Week 5:-Week 6:-Week 7:-Week 8:-Week 9:-External links:* * *...
squad, something which had been widely speculated within the media.
Head coach Jake White
Jake White
Jake White is a rugby union coach and former coach of the South Africa national rugby union team, the Springboks. His most notable achievements as coach include leading the Springboks to victory in 2007 Rugby World Cup and the 2004 Tri Nations title...
named Ralepelle on the bench for the second test against Australia, in Sydney. However it would be in Pretoria when he would make his Springbok debut on 26 August, coming off the bench as a replacement. He was an unused bench replacement in the final two Tri Nations games as well.
Ralepelle was then included in the South African squad for the tour to the Northern Hemisphere. He was an unused bench replacement in the match against Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
, and the first Test against England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
. He then came off the bench in the second Test at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
. For the last match of the tour, Ralepelle was named as captain for the match against the World XV
World XV
A World XV is a rugby union team, typically composed of invited players from various countries. Various World XVs have been arranged from time to time, often to take part in celebration and testimonial games, usually against national teams; recent World XV games have generally not been considered...
at Walkers Stadium
Walkers Stadium
The King Power Stadium is a football stadium which hosts home matches of English football club Leicester City. The all-seater stadium, inaugurated in July 2002, holds 32,500 and has the 19th largest stadium capacity in England. The stadium is named after King Power, a company owned by club owner...
in Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, and thus becoming the first black and the youngest player to captain the national team.
On 15 November 2010, Ralepelle was suspended and sent back to South Africa from England following a positive drugs test. The result was traced to a bad batch on Energy drinks supplied to the South African rugby team by the UK arm of their regular South African supplier.