He was compact in the frontrow, deadly with his lineout throws as the first All Black hooker to perform that art and busy around the field.
Those frisky days seemed a distant memory when Dalton captained the All Blacks against the Boks in their tempestuous visit in '81, as the Geriatrics (Dalton, Knight and Ashworth) took the brunt of the visitors' set piece onslaught.
Victory in that series was offset in '86 when Dalton led the Cavaliers to South Africa but had his jaw broken when he was blindsided by a punch, 40 minutes into the first game.
Dalton was determined to have one final crack at test rugby and was on course until he strained his hamstring on the soft training grounds before the '87 World Cup.
His playing time was done but not his connections to the sport. Dalton coached Counties, farmed his property in Bombay, became the NZRU president and then chief executive of Auckland and the Blues.
Statistics
Date of birth: 16 November 1951
Position: Hooker
Matches: 58
Tests: 35
Test debut: 19 November 1977 v France, Paris
Final test: 29 June 1985 v Australia, Auckland
Province: Counties-Manukau
Test tries: 3
Test points: 12
