Mandela inducted into rugby Hall of Fame

South African icon Nelson Mandela was posthumously inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame on Saturday.

The image of the then South African president dressed in a Springbok team shirt handing over the 1995 World Cup trophy to white Springbok captain Francois Pienaar is perhaps the most enduring image of the sport's showpiece event.

The symbolism of the moment appeared to reflect a unity within the rainbow nation -- replacing the racist apartheid regime -- especially as rugby was seen as the one of the last bastions of whites.

His induction took place at a special ceremony in Newcastle ahead of the crunch Springbok pool B game against Scotland later on Saturday.

World Rugby Chairman Bernard Lapasset presenting the coveted Hall of Fame cap to South Africa's Deputy Minister of Sport and Recreation, Gert C Oosthuizen and Pienaar.

Mandela, who died in 2013, received a glowing tribute from South African Rugby Union President (SARU) and World Rugby Vice-Chairman Oregan Hoskins.