Chiliboy Ralepelle, having played only bit-parts in South Africa's victorious Tri-Nations campaign, is ready to hit the ground running - when he starts for the Blue Bulls in their Currie Cup Round 11 match against the Boland Cavaliers in Wellington on Saturday.

The one-time Springbok captain, who has had his career curtailed by injury since making his international debut in 2006, says he is now in the best form of his life.

And he is determined to prove his true value for the Bulls in the last four rounds of the domestic season - in the run-in to the play-offs.

Ralepelle, one of three returning Boks starting for the Bulls on Saturday, said did not afford himself too much time for celebrations, after returning to South Africa on Monday as part of John Smit's all-conquering national team that have won five of their six Tri-Nations games.

"My focus has shifted back to the Currie Cup now," Ralepelle told this website, as his team stepped up preparations for the trip to Wellington on Saturday.

Having made his first Test start at hooker in the in the third international against the British & Irish Lions, after all three his previous games for the Boks were off the bench, the 23-year-old returned to replacement duty for the Tri-Nations - making cameo appearances in the victories over New Zealand in Bloemfontein and Durban, then Australia in Perth and against the All Blacks in Hamilton last Saturday.

However, since the start against the B&I Lions on July 4 his total game time has not been enough to constitute half a game.

On Saturday he gets the chance to shake off all the bench splinters and display the form he feels he is capable of.

"Yes, I'm definitely looking forward to starting this weekend," he said.

"I just want to go out there and make a difference.

"I'm now more ready than ever, just feeling good about my rugby and I want to be on the park a lot more."

With the Bulls having slipped to fifth place on the standings, Ralepelle admits that in the last four weeks - which will see them tackle the Boland, Free State Cheetahs, Griquas and Leopards - they simply can't afford any mistakes.

"We must try and pull some magic and make it happen and ensure we make the semis [play-offs]," Ralepelle told us.

He dismissed the suggestion that the Bulls have an "easy" run-in to the semifinals.

"At the end of the day the ball is in our court and it is up to go and get those five-point hauls in the next couple of weeks.

"What matters at this stage is getting into the top four," he said, adding that there is no chance of them slacking off.

"The hunger is still there"

Even coming back from the high of beating the B&I Lions, whitewashing the All Blacks, beating the Wallabies in Australia and claiming the Tri-Nations will not diminish their hunger.

"We are professional athletes, all of us. At 23, even though I have won a Super 14 title and the Tri-Nations the hunger is still there.

Chiliboy Ralepelle, having played only bit-parts in South Africa's victorious Tri-Nations campaign, is ready to hit the ground running - when he starts for the Blue Bulls in their Currie Cup Round 11 match against the Boland Cavaliers in Wellington on Saturday.

"If you look at [Bok utility back] Frans Steyn, at 22 he has achieved almost everything any rugby player could want [a World Cup, Tri-Nations, Lions series win - only S14 missing].

"But as a professional athlete you need to be ambitious and always set goals for yourself - challenge yourself everyday and make sure you have a reason to keep going.

"The day you stop challenging yourself is the day you must pack your bags and quit the game.

"You must keep that ambition and live the dream, set those goals and that is what we are chasing [a Currie Cup win]."

Mahlatse Ralepelle, generally referred to by his nickname as 'Chiliboy', first made his mark as a pupil at Pretoria Boys High School, and went on to play for the SA Schools team in 2002 and 2003, then South Africa Under-19s in 2004.

He was also a member of both the victorious SA U19 and SA U21 sides in 2005 - captaining the U19 side to victory at the 2005 IRB U19 World Championship. Ralepelle also captained his country at U21 level in 2006 - where they were defeated in the Final of the IRB U19 championship by hosts, France.

He was subsequently included in the Springboks' 2006 Tri-Nations squad, something which had been widely speculated within the media. He was named on the bench for the second Test against Australia, in Sydney. However it would be in Pretoria where 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 non-cap international against the World XV at Walkers Stadium in Leicester - becoming the first black and the youngest player to captain the Springboks.

Bio:
Full name: Mahlatse Chiliboy
Surname: Ralepelle
Height: 178cm
Weight: 105kg
Birth date: 11 September 1986
Birth city: Tzaneen
Primary school: Numbi Primary and Drakensberg Primary
Secondary school: Pretoria Boys High
Club: University of Pretoria RFC
Province: Blue Bulls (2006)
Springbok number: 776
Test debut: 26 August 2006 v New Zealand in Pretoria aged 19
Last test: 12 September 2009 v New Zealand in Hamilton aged 23
Total tests: eight
Tour matches: one
Total Springbok matches: nine
Tours: Ireland & England, 2006; British Isles, 2008.
SA Under-19 Player of the Season, 2005
Squads: South Africa (2006 to 2009), SA Under-21 (2005 and 2006), SA Under-19 (2004 and 2005), Bulls (S14 - 2006 to 2009), Blue Bulls (2005 to 2009)