Nhlapo represented Johannesburg-based side Golden Lions at the Under-18 Academy Week tournament in 2006, which led to his inclusion in the CAR Under-18 tournament that year.
He then joined the Sharks Academy, where he played at Under-19 level in 2007 and at Under-21 level in 2008 and 2009. Once again, he received representative honours during this time, playing for the South African Under-19 side at the 2007 Under 19 Rugby World Championship and for their U20 side at the 2008 IRB Junior World Championship.
He made his first class debut for the Sharks XV during the 2009 Vodacom Cup competition, in their first round match against the Boland Cavaliers.[2] He made twenty appearances for them in the Vodacom Cup competition over the next three seasons, but failed to break into their Currie Cup side, despite being named in their squad which won the 2010 Currie Cup Premier Division title[3] and also being included in the Sharks Super Rugby squad for the 2011 Super 15 season.[4]
In 2012, he returned to Gauteng to join Pretoria-based Varsity Cup side UP Tuks and made fourteen appearances for them during the 2012[5] and 2013[6] seasons. UP Tuks won the competition in both occasions, with Nhlapo playing in both finals.
The latter half of 2013 saw him move to Wellington to join the Boland Cavaliers for the 2013 Currie Cup First Division competition.[7] He made seven appearances for them during that competition.
He then moved to Nelspruit to join the Pumas for 2014.[8] He was a member of the Pumas side that won the Vodacom Cup for the first time in 2015, beating Western Province 24–7 in the final.[9] Nhlapo made four appearances during the season.