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Richie McCaw: Captain's slog

Richie McCaw skippered New Zealand to World Cup victory on home soil © Getty Images

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The past 12 months of the sporting calendar have thrown up a plethora of memorable performances, including a near-invincible tennis star, a globally-loved golfing success story, and a footballing magician who seems only to need one foot. Leading up to Christmas, ESPN will name its top 10 sports personalities of the year in ascending order...

"He went through hell," said Graham Henry when asked about what Richie McCaw endured during the World Cup. "It was bad. I went fishing with him the week after the final and I looked down at his foot and it was like a balloon. [But] if he hadn't played in the final against France then we simply would not have won."

The New Zealand captain battled through the pain barrier in the latter stages of the tournament, his need to win prioritised above all else - even his health. That's some achievement, considering he had a screw inserted into his right foot after a suffering a fracture at the start of the year.

He stood tall during the final, the talismanic skipper sharing the suffering of a nation who had not claimed the William Webb Ellis Cup for 24 long, painful years. He had not been able to train between matches - but nothing could have stopped him taking part in the biggest match of his career.

"He said he didn't want people to think he was being incredibly brave running around out there - he had pain, but he was ready to go each week," said the All Blacks doctor Deb Robinson. "It would swell up in a game but would be better through the week. He recovered, but admittedly, he couldn't train. On game day we would give him some pain relief and anti-inflammatory.''

In the game against France in the pool stages of the tournament, McCaw passed another landmark, becoming the first All Black to reach 100 caps.

Elsewhere in the year - and this is an achievement that may sadly be lost in the mists of time given what followed for McCaw - he helped club side Crusaders enjoy a tremendous season, despite the fact they were forced to play the whole campaign away from their home ground following the Canterbury earthquakes. They lost the inaugural Super Rugby final, but what the team achieved through adversity will still resonate through the ages.

The Tri-Nations wasn't a huge success for New Zealand, who finished second, but they did triumph in two of the three matches McCaw played in - and given that they went on to win the World Cup, does it really matter?

His 2011 ended with Henry, his former coach, saying the 30-year-old will be unable to resist another shot at the World Cup. "I am sure, if he is still playing and body is still willing, when he gets a couple of years out from the next World Cup he will start to re-focus on winning it again," Henry said.

Nothing could sum him up more.

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