In 1985, Nelson Mandela, then in prison for twenty- three years, set about winning over the fiercest proponents of apartheid before setting his sights on the nation’s first free elections in 1994. But perhaps his greatest challenge was finding a cause that would unite the nation, fractured after fifty years of apartheid. His choice was one of the most far-fetched imaginable: the springboks, their national rugby team, long an embodiment of white supremacist rule. The Springboks’ chances- both victory and inspiring unity-seemed remote. But as their string of wins lengthened, South Africans of every color and political stripe began falling for the team.