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There's going to be a little bit of history created at the Walkers Stadium in Leicester this afternoon when hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle becomes the "rst ever black player to captain the Springboks. Although the tourists are merely playing a World XV . . . expected to include the likes of Lawrence Dallaglio, Justin Marshall, Andy Farrell and Ben Tune . . . it represents a signi"cant step forward for South African rugby.
The 20-year-old had been touted over the past 18 months as a player likely to captain his country at some point, but very few expected it to happen this soon. Ralepelle's promotion comes in the week that Jake White retained his job as Springbok coach and while the head honcho may not have the best record on the "eld since his side won the TriNations back in 2004, the opportunities he's afforded a number of fringe black players since 2004 certainly deserve recognition. Good on you, Jake.
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YOU ARE HERE: 19 March 2007 / tribune.ie / 2006 / 12 / 03
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