Here are a few key points about the historical accuracy of the film Invictus:
- The film is based on the true story of Nelson Mandela's presidency in post-apartheid South Africa in the 1990s. Mandela became president in 1994 after being released from prison.
- The film accurately depicts Mandela's use of the 1995 Rugby World Cup hosted in South Africa as an opportunity to unite the newly racially integrated country. Rugby had traditionally been dominated by white Afrikaners, so Mandela saw the national team as a symbol of a unified, multi-racial South Africa.
- Mandela did meet with Francois Pienaar, the captain of the Springboks rugby team,