Beauden Barrett was just centimetres away from having his Super Rugby season - and All Blacks Rugby World Cup campaign - ended by a troublesome cut to his heel.
Three weeks ago, when the Blues travelled to Brisbane to face the Reds, Barrett exited early in the second half of his side's 45-26 victory at Suncorp Stadium.
Coach Leon MacDonald calmed any fears over Barrett's long-term fitness - particularly for the All Blacks' upcoming schedule - insisting the star first-five had merely suffered a cut to his heel.
Barrett, 32, has spent the last two weeks on the sideline, missing wins over the Hurricanes and Highlanders, but it could have been so much worse for the veteran first-five.
Fit and ready to return when the Blues begin their playoff campaign against NSW Waratahs at Eden Park on Friday, Barrett has revealed just how close he came to a devastating result.
"It was a sprig straight across my Achilles," he said. "It did everything, but get the tendon.
"I was pretty lucky. It was a good gash - I must have been pretty lucky for it not to knick the tendon."
With the proper time taken to recover - sitting out one game on All Blacks rest and taking a second as a precaution - Barrett says he's done everything needed to turn out for the Blues against the Waratahs.
"I'm feeling good," Barrett said. "It hasn't been frustrating, the expectations had been clear early on that it could take some time to heal.
"It was a deep cut, it's got a fair amount of stitches in there. The concern was to push the range and pop the stitches, if my eagerness took over, but I was pretty patient and trusted what the docs were saying.
"So here I am, I'm available for the quarter-finals."
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