Wynne Gray's 50 greatest rugby moments: No.1

All Blacks captain Richie McCaw holds the Webb Ellis Cup. Photo / Brett Phibbs

All Black history is filled with epic tales of injured players.

Ron Elvidge's broken collarbone and facial gashes against the 1950 Lions, Colin Meads' broken right arm on the 1970 tour to South Africa and Wayne Shelford's ripped scrotum against France in 1986 are a few of the headline moments.

Inspirational All Black captain Richie McCaw added to his legend at the 2011 World Cup when he played through the latter stages of the tournament with a stress fracture in his right foot.

He had six weeks out of action at the start of the year after surgery to put a screw into the fifth metatarsal on his right foot.

"It's not a major, it's one of those things you have to deal with I guess then get ready to play again," he said. "I wanted to get stuck in but I have no choice and hopefully that's all I have to deal with."

It was until the RWC when he re-injured his foot. McCaw did his best to mask the injury and play through the pain but Matt Todd hovered close to the squad and their trainings in case McCaw quit the tournament.

At times he struggled to walk as he hid the pain from everyone in the All Blacks except a select few. He was sure his foot was broken but avoided any x-ray confirmation.

McCaw supplemented his diet with painkillers mixed with willpower.

"If we know for sure it's broken, then it's going to be much more difficult for everyone around us to keep me on the field," he said in his book. "Because whatever the ramifications, I'm going to keep playing on it as long as I can stand up and do my job."

It got so bad, McCaw almost quit the semifinal win against the Wallabies when he felt another crack in his foot and intense pain. He was in agony making it up the tunnel at halftime.

McCaw hung on and led his men into the final. When the All Blacks won 8-7 McCaw doubled over in relief and sank to his haunches. His job was done.

"It's finished. I can stop. I don't have to do this anymore," he said.