May 1994 4 years after his release from prison y Nelson Mandela stands before his Nation as South Africa's first democratically elected president but Beneath The Hope surrounding his rise the remnants of Decades of aparte are dangerously smoldering his country still divided is on the brink of implosion in 40 months of increased South African racial violence more than 750 people have been killed there were an awful lot of right- Wingers who were threatening War who were organizing for war former soldiers armed to the teeth they were fighting to preserve white rule it was the worst possible tension you can get between black and white people no one will silence the white Nation as the violence intensified Mandela rallied international support to bring the 1995 Rugby World Cup to South Africa determined to use the world stage to unite his Nation but he was taking a risk because rugby and the South African National Team the springbox had long been associated with the very worst of the country's history in South Africa rugby was the white man's game I hated rugby I hated those ones who were playing rugby and I hated the spring box even more rugby is a sport of brute force and as such rugby in many ways symbolized a part depression with which black people were being kept down but now the man called Meda by his followers was set on making peace with his former oppressors he would become a rugby fan but convincing black South Africans to stand behind the long hated Spring box would not be easy you see this cup that I'm wored I ask you all to Stander behind them because they are our pride here is the man wanting us to reconcile with these British people who have humiliated us for ages in our own country I wasn't going to be persuaded even by the great Madiba to support the spring box as the World Cup approached Mandela repeated his message of one team one country in townships and Villages across South Africa moved by Mandela support the springb players visited the robin Island prison where Mandela had been jailed for nearly three decades you go to the cell and you realize he s here for how many years I remember James small standing in the corner and there were tears running down his cheeks it was quite amazing to experience just for a few moments what a man experienced for a laugh time you didn't really really understand how big this whole thing was until we saw that that also made us realize that you know what we were doing um was was a little bit more than just playing a game that's the end of the game well who would have believed that South Africa would beat Australia world champions the underdog spring box newly inspired began a magical run through the tournament and that's it South Africa have beaten France in this world cup semifinal but as the team Advanced something even more improbable happened black South Africans started to stand behind the national team we started realizing that you know what this is our country this is our brothers we all have to be behind them people understood that we're fling democracy we're on show together please show the world that we doing all right one team one country that was Mandela's vision and on the morning of the final game blacks and whites alike were swept up into a shared frenzy of excitement as Mandela drove to Ellis Park Stadium he saw firsthand what just weeks ago had been unimaginable we had a lot of white people driving past us wooting and and fists out of the and normally you'd have the fists out of anger but these were fist of Jubilation on all the lights on all the freeways you had these enormous Flags everywhere was just the World Cup the World Cup beneath the stadium the spring bxs prepared knowing they would never play a more important game moments before they took the field the silent tension in the locker room was broken the door opened and in walked Nelson Mandela nobody knew they was coming to visit us he walks in and he's dreaming he has the number one citizen of our country a black man wearing a spring Bor Jersey never in our wildest dreams that we ever expect him to wear Springbok on his heart it was a very very strong motivator in terms of where we were going and what we had to achieve we now down to the big game and the two great Rivals of New Zealand and South Africa out in the middle at Ellis Park tie 1212 after regulation the match remains one of the Epic finals in rugby history as play headed to overtime Mandela said in the president's box his great experiment hanging in the balance stransky looks for the drop has he got it yes it's over that is it the final whistle then South Africa win this Rugby World Cup final and what a dramatic finish for the host country I don't think I've ever seen so many grown men on the Rugby field cry after the Win Nelson Mandela wearing the symbol of his former enemies prepared to step onto the field the crowd just went w it was like a volcano erupting and I'm trying to understand what the chant is I realized that these white South African people who were chanting their president's name this is Nelson Nelson Nelson Nelson Nelson Nelson Nelson that was one voice I never thought that we would hear that a rugby stadium at the time I think it was um just fantastic we didn't know what hit us I mean it was just the most phenomenal it was really quanny the image of a joyous Mandela celebrating with the national team was mirrored in every corner of the once broken country South Africans at last were rejoicing as one then we had 65,000 South Africans here today tremendous support David we didn't have 60,000 South Africans we had 43 million South Africans it was Freedom all over the moment that the cup was handed over to Madiba I told myself these are people that I have to build this country together there's one South Africa all my ha he's going to gain me absolutely nothing Meda took my hand and he and he shook at me he said thank you very much for what you've done for South Africa I said M you got it wrong thank you for what you've done for South Africa I think it was great vision from the man to have used that opportunity to make us see each other as human beings this is our South Africa