By Jacques van der Westhuyzen
For a player who made his Springbok debut as a 19-year-old in 2006, Chiliboy Ralepelle shouldn't have to prove anything to the rugby world.
Yet, the 23-year-old has it all to do in the coming weeks to convince his doubters he is the right man to back up first-choice hooker Bismarck du Plessis.
Ralepelle, who burst onto the scene as a high school star and went on to captain both the South African Under-19 and U21 sides, will lead the Bok "dirt-trackers" against the Leicester Tigers in Leicester tonight, the first of five matches the Boks will play in Europe this month.
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'Does anyone really know how good the player is' As captain of the dirt-trackers and back-up to Du Plessis in the Test squad, Ralepelle should be in action in all five matches - an opportunity he will want to grab with both hands and show the rugby public he's over his injury problems and can hold his own in the front row.
While there is no doubting Ralepelle is a wonderful talent, the fact he's played so little rugby since his junior days raises questions about his readiness for the Test stage. He sits on the bench for the Boks and rarely gets a start at his province, the Blue Bulls. Does anyone really know how good the player is?
The coming weeks will not only provide Ralepelle a platform to answer this question, but the two matches against English club sides will also allow him to show just how good a leader he is.
Starting Friday night in Leicester, Ralepelle needs to get the most out of a team that has no settled combinations, has no less than 11 uncapped players, has had just four days to prepare and goes into battle in conditions few of the players are used to. Rain is expected in the East Midlands town tonight, making the Boks' task that much more difficult.
And while the likes of Ralepelle, Dewald Potgieter, Davon Raubenheimer, Ashley Johnson, Heini Adams, Juan de Jongh and Earl Rose, as well as those men sitting on the bench, have a lot riding on the game - they'll want to make impressions first up on tour, especially those players on debut - many team members have nothing to prove and may feel they'd rather be back in sunny South Africa, resting their tired bodies after a long year.
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