Espn Films 30 for 30: The 16th Man (DVD), Team Marketing, Documentary

In 1994, Nelson Mandela's new government found itself rebuilding a fragile nation badly in need of racial unity. Although the system of apartheid had ended, racial tensions still ran high & some worried the country's divide through an unlikely source: rugby. During the Apartheid era, South Africa teams had been banned from international competition, and it's exclusion from rugby was an especially severe blow to the white population. Blacks, on the other hand, saw the national Springbok team & it's colors as symbols of oppression and cheered against their home team. With the 1995 Rugby World Cup set to take place in South Africa, Mandela recognized an opportunity with the Springboks to achieve national unity through sport. In front of their countrymen, the Springboks made an improbable and historic run in the Rugby World Cup, winning the championship by beating heavily favored New Zealand. Mandela shattered barriers when he marched to the center of the pitch cloaked in a Springbok jersey to shake hands with the captain of the South African team. Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman and Director Clifford Bestall tell the inspirational story of the emotional moment when two nations become one.