Some players really really want to play in the World Cup. In 2011, Richie McCaw played through a broken bone in his foot to lead New Zealand to their second World Cup. We never thought that that would be surpassed, but then we were wrong.
England centre Jonathan Joseph lit up the Six Nations before being strangely subdued in the global showpiece, as England suffered the embarrassment of an early exit from the tournament.
It's only now that Joseph has revealed why he was so ineffective in September.
Joseph played two games with a pec muscle that was two thirds torn off the bone. How horrible does that sound? We saw the pain that O'Connell was under when his muscle was torn off the bone against France - albeit that was a hamstring rather than his chest muscle. But still, playing through two games before being ruled out for three months sounds absolutely disgusting.
I was going to do everything I could to play. I wasn't aware there was only a third attached. I felt something in my pec and wasn't too happy about it as I'd done the other pec before and it felt a little bit similar.
It was only when Joseph returned to his club that a scan was called for, and it was revealed how much damage he'd sustained.
Mr. Joseph - you've earned our respect.
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Picture credit: Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE
