All Blacks first five, Dan Carter's fairytale career ending almost got spoiled when he woke up on the morning after the quarterfinal and could barely walk.
The world's best No 10 has revealed in his new book that a collateral ligament injury to his right knee came right only on the Thursday before the semifinal, when it was injected with an anaesthetic.
He says throughout that time he was fighting to avoid thinking the worst that he would miss out on the big games again.
Carter leaves New Zealand next week to start a new chapter in his rugby life at Racing 92, in western Paris.
Carter says he was actually reasonably calm and had prepared really well.
Stuff.co