Former All Blacks superstar Dan Carter has added yet another layer of legend to the already renowned reputation of Richie McCaw, revealing just how much pain his former captain endured to win a World Cup.
Carter, speaking to French rugby newspaper Midi Olympique about a range of topics, reflected on his time playing with McCaw and the 2011 season in which the All Blacks were attempting to break a 24-year drought when it came to holding the Webb Ellis Cup.
While Carter was famously ruled out of the tournament with a groin injury, he witnessed the extent of McCaw's toughness as he battled his own ill-health to help satisfy the desire of New Zealand rugby fans for a title on home soil.
In January of 2011, McCaw injured his foot during a training session for the Crusaders Super Rugby side. A week later he announced that he would miss the first six weeks of the season and receive invasive surgery that saw a screw inserted into his ailing hoof.