Six years ago a naïve 19-year-old Chiliboy Ralepelle was thrown to the wolves when he made his Test debut against the All Blacks at Loftus Versfeld.
Some felt it was too soon and that Ralepelle was a pawn to ease the political pressure on then Springbok coach Jake White.
The unfortunate victim of that Test was Ralepelle and it was in that moment of madness that Ralepelle’s star was almost extinguished forever.
A scrum-full of injuries, 21 Tests, 42 Super Rugby caps and six years later, Ralepelle feels no resentment towards White, whom he will meet on Saturday when the Bulls play against the Brumbies at Loftus, or the politics of rugby.
Instead, Ralepelle has used the disappointments and failed promises of the past to become arguably the best hooker in the country at the moment and the number one candidate for the Springbok No 2 jersey.
By unanimous approval Ralepelle has this year had his best rugby season yet and, from being a perennial bench warmer and labelled a quota player, he has started all seven of the Bulls’ games.
So what has elevated Ralepelle to being the most talked-about South African rugby player around the braai over weekends?
“Well I think it is more of a team effort than anything. Every individual is willing to stick up his hand and do well for the team. I must say it is the team culture that we have at the Bulls that creates that for you and requires you to be at your best at all times because of the amount of talent that there is in the squad. If you are not at your best then the next guy is going to take your spot. It keeps you on your toes and giving of your best at all times.
“The amount of game time that I’m getting has allowed me to settle in, be at peace and work hard at what I need to do,” said Ralepelle.
Good and rampant as Ralepelle is at the moment, the former Pretoria Boys’ High school captain believes that he is not yet at his best, a scary thought for the likes of Bismarck du Plessis and Adriaan Strauss who are fighting Ralepelle for the hooker’s place.
“Every game that I get to be on the pitch I appreciate and I make sure that I use my time because it could be taken away from you in the blink of an eye. Going into this season I didn’t want to have any regrets. I still believe I’m not as sharp as I want to be and with time it will come. It is not something I want to rush into. I’m working hard at it but I don’t want to force it,” Ralepelle said.
The last thing on Ralepelle’s mind at the moment is playing for the Springboks. It is rather winning the Super Rugby title that is the focus of the entire Bulls team.
While Ralepelle enjoyed much success and silverware as a junior, being in the winning Under-19 and Under-21 teams at junior world championships in the same year, it is at senior level that he wants to hold aloft a trophy – although he was a squad member of the Bulls’ Super 14 and Currie Cup winning teams in 2009.
“I take it (making the Bok team) differently because for me I take it week by week as things unfold. It is important for me not to focus on them (Du Plessis and Strauss) but on myself and what I want to achieve for the Bulls. The focus is to win the Super Rugby competition and when Test rugby comes I will then put my focus on that,” Ralepelle said in his soft but authoritative voice.
Winning the Super Rugby title may be a tall order, especially for a team that was written off as immature and lacking experience after the departure of many of their superstars at the end of last year.
But as is typical of Ralepelle, the Bulls have seen an opportunity in adversity and from being dubbed as no-hopers the men in blue, and sometimes pink, are destined to top the log if they beat the Brumbies and the Chiefs and Stormers fail to win their matches.
“I am loving the camaraderie. It is a young and vibey side and it just creates a different atmosphere. One of the things that we realised with all those senior guys gone is that we need to work hard and we really have been putting in the hard hours,” added Ralepelle.
He has faced much criticism but it has made him even more determined to fulfill the promise he showed as a schoolboy.
“Life has been a bit of a rollercoaster. Looking at the bigger picture I have realised that I am not in control of what happens to me and it is God who is in charge. I have put Him in charge of everything and all I can do is to work hard and be in the best condition I can be.
“At the end of the day, I am human and at times it (criticism) breaks you down. I have God and that has made me stronger as an individual and it has given me that willpower to want to fight back. I’m not worried anymore about what people have to say about me. I’ve learnt to focus on myself and what I want to achieve,” he said.
Even though Ralepelle had the guidance of then Springbok captain John Smit when he made his Test debut, it was never going to be enough against the hard men of New Zealand and Australia.
A fitter, harder and red-hot Ralepelle is showing this year that he can stand on his own and, even though he jokes about relying heavily on the protection of “fatties” Dean Greyling and Werner Kruger in the scrums, his time has come. “Everything in life is all about timing. There is a time and moment for everything. If I do have the odd bad throw or miss a line-out it doesn’t help if I complain. I have to work hard at getting that ball back for the team. You have to be hard on yourself, you can’t just take things easy. All I must do is keep on working hard and do those little things that will make me a better player. Every team we play against in Super Rugby have world-class hookers. You have to be hard-nosed, mark your territory and protect it.”
Ralepelle has certainly marked out his territory this year and he will go to the ends of the world to protect it. – The Star