A neat line will be drawn under the first century of Springbok rugby in Leicester tomorrow when 20-year-old Mahlatse Chiliboy Ralepelle becomes the first black player to lead out South Africa's cherished, and once all white, national rugby side. About time, you might say.

The hooker is given his chance in a non-Test match against a World XV in the absence of regular John Smit, who has returned home with half a dozen other leading players. Ralepelle is the national under-21 captain and had been tipped to do the job at some point - although it has come rather sooner than even he expected.

"It has happened very unexpectedly and very quickly but it's up to me to make the most of it," he said yesterday. "It's up to me to go out there and show that whatever people have seen in me really is there."

Ralepelle will give way at half-time to his provincial captain, Gary Botha, who will take over his positional and captaincy responsibilities but the message will have gone out - one that is not lost on Ralepelle.

"It will be very beneficial for black rugby players in the country," he says. "I believe anyone is capable of anything if they put their mind to it and by seeing me and Lawrence [Sephaka] and Jongi [Nokwe] in the Springbok squad will be motivation for them."

Rugby is the sport of choice for millions of Xhosa-speaking South Africans in the Eastern Cape but is little played in the northern provinces from where Ralepelle hails. His father, Tikka, was a professional soccer player and has not yet been converted ("we fight for the remote when it comes to which sport to watch") but his loss to soccer was rugby's gain when young Chiliboy - who was christened with his grandfather's name - was sent to a rugby-only primary school.

His natural aptitude was quickly identified and he found himself being courted by Pretoria's leading rugby schools - once reserved for whites only. He chose the English-speaking Pretoria Boys High, coincidentally the alma mater of John Smit, and his rugby career gathered pace. He was selected for the Blue Bulls' provincial under-18 side when he was just 15 and in 2005 he won IRB world titles with the SA under-19 and under-21 teams in the space of three months. This year he captained the team to the silver medal as they lost to hosts France in the final.

Springbok coach Jake White quickly promoted him to the senior Springbok squad but his game time has been limited to a handful of seconds against New Zealand in Pretoria and England at Twickenham. There is real symbolism to him now being given the captaincy at the end of the centenary season but team manager Zola Yeye rejects the idea that the selection was made on political grounds: "I don't talk black or white," he said. "South Africa is a non-racial society and this is a rugby decision about giving opportunities. The boy has been under-21 captain and he deserves the chance."

For all his youth Ralepelle appears undaunted at the prospect of tossing up with the World XV's Lawrence Dallaglio or leading his own side containing players such as lock Johan Ackermann, who is 16 years his senior, and three others players who made their test debuts last century. He is the least experienced rugby player in either squad.

"When I look back on my rugby career I'll always have this moment and this week," he said. "I'm sure I'll be saying 'gee whiz'."