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'It doesn't look great' - Hansen reveals extent of Dagg injury
By Alex Fisher
Israel Dagg faces an undetermined spell on the sidelines after a knee injury ruled the winger out of New Zealand's Rugby Championship clash with South Africa.
Dagg was omitted from Steve Hansen's selection for the match in Albany on Saturday due to the long-standing problem that he aggravated during last week's win over Argentina.
The 29-year-old – who missed the opening two matches with Australia – was replaced in the 49th minute of that 39-22 win over the Pumas, and the All Blacks coach is unsure how long he will be without his winger.
"We are getting more information on that," Hansen told a media conference on Thursday.
"It doesn't look great at this stage.
"It looks like he might need some time away from the game but until I get more information it would be pointless to tell you how long or what is wrong."
Last weekend's win over Argentina came thanks to a second-half revival in New Plymouth, the All Blacks having been behind at the break.
That made it three victories in as many matches, but the world champions have been far from their fluent best, although it is not something that worries Hansen.
"When you're behind and 15 minutes into the second half and we managed to come back and win it, and comfortably, it's not all bad," he added.
"Last week we scored six tries. Only one side has done that against Argentina - us. So it was a pretty good achievement.
"Yeah, it's a bit tough at the moment. But I believe we are going in the right direction. We have a good plan. If you're not happy with where we're going, be patient.
"It's another two and a half years before we get to the point where I would like us to be. We'll get there. I promise you."
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Latest Comments
I've not watched any of the Top 14, but am I right that he was very very good for the first couple of weeks, and then has been pretty ineffective since?
Go to commentsVery good point. I think the CO2 cost of international sport is a big taboo today (and it doesn't look like it'll change anytime soon unfortunately for all humans).
Regarding your second point, I fully agree as well. We have seen this very one-eyed backlash of the French policy on the July tour, most people refuse to see that the best SA players are suffering from the exact same problem : accumulated fatigue from playing too much without significant breaks. The Boks and the Argentinians played the world cup, the URC/Top14/Premiership, the July series, the Championship, etc, etc, with almost no compulsary resting period. This has to change, for the sake of the players, and in fine for the sake of the sport !
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