30 FOR 30: THE 16TH MAN (TV)

Summary

One in this series of sports documentaries presented by ESPN about important people and events from 1979 to 2009.

This film discusses the 1995 Rugby World Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa and its effect on post-Apartheid society. The deep racial divisions in South African society are exemplified by the violent sport of rugby, at the time dominated by white teams; the black population of South Africa is excluded from the game. Civil unrest at the Apartheid government reaches an all-time high, and the people of South Africa become restless and angry. The release of Nelson Mandela from prison after a 27-year sentence sparks fear from the South African population that a massive race war would ensue. Before the end of Apartheid, white citizens of South Africa hold virtually all economic and political power in the country, and society is deeply segregated. Political activist Justice Bekebeke recalls a prayer meeting in his hometown of Upington being broken up by a squad of riot police firing into the crowd; Bekebeke strikes a police officer with a rifle and ends up killing him. He and thirteen other people are arrested for murder. All are sentenced to death and are placed in death row of Pretoria Central Prison.

International response to South African brutality commences; New Zealand, South Africa’s chief rugby rival, stages massive and violent protests at their matches. The South African rugby team, the Springboks, are banned from playing in rugby tournaments as a result. These protest movements slowly take effect, and on February 19th, 1990, Mandela is released from prison and the oppressed people of South Africa are elated, as they believe that the release signifies that freedom and equality are close at hand. Mandela feels that his first task is to calm the angry populace of South Africa in order to prevent widespread violence from breaking out. He begins negotiations with the white government to that effect, but far-right political groups are angry at his release and call for Mandela to be executed. An attempt at integration at a school in Pretoria is stopped when it is bombed by extremists. These extremist form a fascist-style resistance movement against Mandela and go on to launch further attacks and violent actions.

In the wake of this, Mandela sees an opportunity to sway more neutral white citizens to his cause, promising them to make South Africa host of the Rugby World Cup if they support a shift towards a democratic government. However, leaders allying with Mandela request some concessions, such as altering the name and logo of the Springboks. Mandela argues that doing so could trigger anger from white people, and convinces his colleagues that the logo has a greater ability to influence their hearts and minds than violence. Despite violent resistance, Mandela’s plan pays off and in 1994 he becomes the first democratically elected President of South Africa. Despite his success, the possibility of further and more dangerous terrorist actions weighs heavily upon him, and he works to continue his plan of “healing” the country. To do this, he reaches out to many whites, including those who had taken up arms against him. He also fulfills his promise and arranges for Johannesburg to serve as the host site for the 1995 Rugby World Cup. However, problems loom with this prospect: it remains uncertain how the newly-freed population of South Africa would feel about the game, and the Springboks consist of a largely rag-tag team of relative rookies without experience in international play. This is complicated by the introduction of the team’s first black player, Chester Williams. Mandela comes to visit the team personally during their final training session before the rugby season, and the players are pleased that he expresses confidence and admiration for them.

The opening game of the World Cup tournament takes place against the Australian team, the defending champions. They decide to embrace Mandela’s philosophy of cooperation, and adopt the slogan “one team, one country” to exemplify this. The game begins on May 25th, 1995, and the Springboks play to a massive crowd of extremely enthusiastic fans of both races. The Springboks beat the undefeated Australian team, feeling that they are in a “do or die” situation. The day after their victory, the Springboks visit the prison at Robben Island, where Mandela served most of his prison sentence. The visit proves to be an illuminating one for the team, shifting their perspective on their government and society, and they realize the political implications of their participation in the Rugby World Cup. Motivated by this newfound sense of importance, the Springboks win the next few games in the tournament. They reach the semifinals against France, one of the best teams in the competition. The day before the semifinals, Mandela appears at a political rally in KwaZulu, South Africa. Some are uncomfortable with Mandela’s support of the Springboks, associating them with the old oppressive white government. He pleads with the assembled crowd to support the Springboks, asserting that they represent the “pride” of South Africa.

The semifinal begins in Durban, South Africa amid a torrential rainstorm. Problems ensue due to the rain delays, and the referees claim that if it does not let up then the Springboks will be out of the tournament. This is due to some Springboks being ejected from earlier games due to rough conduct. However, with only minutes remaining, the rain lets up and the game begins on a flooded, slippery playing field. The Springboks gain a tenuous lead and in the final moments of the game barely prevent France from scoring a winning try, a feat that proves to be extremely exhausting both physically and mentally. They advance to the finals, held at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg. Their opponents are the New Zealand All Blacks, considered by rugby experts to be the best team in the world. The Springboks train tirelessly in the week leading up to the finals, intimidated by All Black star players such as Jonah Lomu.

The game is held on June 24th, 1995, attracting viewership from every part of the country. Mandela arrives at the stadium before the game, attracting enthusiasm even from white attendees. He pays the Springboks a surprise visit in their locker room, and they are moved to see him wearing a Springbok jersey. Mandela emerges into the stadium to find the crowd chanting his name and wishes all of the players good luck; they consider him the honorary “sixteenth man” on their team. The opening ceremony features a performance of South Africa’s new national anthem, a combination of the protest song “Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika” and the old national anthem from the pre-democratic times, “Die Stem van Suid-Afrika,” inspiring pride in the Springbok players. In response, the All Blacks perform their pre-game ritual in the form of a traditional Maori Haka war dance, becoming quite confrontational with the Springboks.

As the game commences, Lomu goes on an early offensive and the Springboks struggle to contain him. The Springboks counterattack, and their fly-half Joel Stransky kicks enough goals to allow the Springboks to overtake the All Blacks in score. After halftime, the Springboks maintain a narrow lead over the All Blacks, and they regain confidence after Lomu is tackled during a try. Both teams put on extremely tough defensive positions, making scoring opportunities few and far between. The entire nation cheers for the Springboks, although Bekebeke still views the team as emblematic of the oppressive government which took advantage of many of his people, and refuses to cheer them on. Late in the game, the All Blacks make a kick which ties the score. This takes the game into extra time, the first such occurrence in Rugby World Cup history. This creates an atmosphere of tension in the stadium, and the players try to go on despite being exhausted by the grueling game. The Springboks are penalized on an important play, and so at the end of the first half of extra time the score is still tied. With six minutes remaining in the second half of extra time, a scoring opportunity presents itself and the Springboks summon up all their effort in order to make a try. The Springboks slip in a drop kick to score a goal, ensuring their victor in the game. Even Bekebeke at this point admits that his hatred for the Springboks is pointless.

The victory at Johannesburg serves as a touchstone in South African history, uniting the country as never before. Celebrations ensue throughout the entire country, and the Springboks are treated as national heroes. They view their victory as symbolic of the progress of South Africa, and believe that it represents an important first step in ensuring peace in their society. Mandela asserts that sports can be “more powerful than governments” at bringing people together, and have “the power to change the world.” Commercials deleted.

Details

• NETWORK: ESPN
• DATE: May 4, 2010
• RUNNING TIME: 0:54:31
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: 114755
• GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries; Sports
• SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Sports; TV - Public affairs/documentaries; TV - Sports
• SERIES RUN: ESPN - TV series, 2009-
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• John Carlin … Executive Producer, Writer
• Lori McCleary … Executive Producer
• Morgan Freeman … Executive Producer
• Keith Clinkscales … Executive Producer
• John Dahl … Executive Producer
• Joan Lynch … Executive Producer
• Connor Schell … Executive Producer
• John Skipper … Executive Producer
• Bill Simmons … Executive Producer
• John Walsh … Executive Producer
• Tracy Mercer … Co-Executive Producer
• Clifford Bestall … Producer, Director
• Mitch Wright … Producer
• Cory McCrum … Associate Producer
• Nadia Meer Kride … Associate Producer
• Pearlie Joubert … Associate Producer
• Deirdre Fenton … Associate Producer
• Mike Tollin … Consulting Producer
• Gail Behrmann … Researcher
• Tom Fox … Music by
• Marshall Smith … Music by
• Morgan Freeman … Narrator
• Justice Bekebeke … Interviewee
• Morné Du Plessis … Interviewee
• Francois Pienaar … Interviewee
• James Small … Interviewee
• Chester Williams … Interviewee
• Koos Botha … Interviewee
• Tokyo Sexwale … Interviewee
• Balie Stewart … Interviewee
• Desmond Tutu … Interviewee
• Joel Stransky … Interviewee
• Kobus Wiese … Interviewee
• Linga Moonsammy … Interviewee
• Jonah Lomu
• Nelson Mandela