Rugby: Dagg - I can't get carried away

Israel Dagg had a decisive performance against Argentina. Photo / Getty

Of all the All Blacks under pressure to perform against Argentina, Israel Dagg might have been the most relieved in the wake of a test which proved he is anything but a spent force.

In what was his first 80-minute match for two months do to a calf injury, Dagg improved significantly on his 50 minutes against Manu Samoa in Apia.

Whereas last week he was tentative and seemingly unsure of himself, last night at AMI Stadium he was decisive - both on attack and defence - and after a busy night with the ball his covering tackle in the final minutes when he helped snuff out a Pumas attack was a testament to his workrate.

With Ben Smith nearing a return after his long and successful season with the Highlanders, Dagg needed to make a statement and he did. In a team full of electric runners in the form of new boy Waisake Naholo, unfortunately now out injured with a cracked lower leg which will rule him out for three months, and Charles Piutau, Dagg was as quick and hard to handle as any of them.

"He looked fast, I thought," said assistant coach Ian Foster. "He's like a lot of outside backs, when they get their legs back and they can start to back their acceleration and speed that brings the confidence with it.

"He can still kick better - there are still parts of his game that he can get better and better at - but I think it was his speed and confidence to take people on which stood out tonight."

Dagg certainly wasn't getting ahead of himself afterwards, talking about his desire to stay grounded and prepare well for possibly another opportunity at Ellis Park against the Springboks, but it's clear some of the criticism from the outside has hurt.

"I can't get carried away. It was a step in the right direction for me and the team. I just want to keep working hard and trying to get better as a player.

"I try not to read into what you fellas write out there. I just have to stay calm and clear. I just have to trust my abilities and trust what I can do and stay positive."

Dagg may have done enough to retain the No15 jersey, with Ben Smith a strong possibility on the right wing. Julian Savea will almost certainly start on the left.

Hansen said: "Israel hasn't played much rugby. He was pretty scratchy in his first outing against Samoa and he came back and played pretty good tonight.

"He's everyone's favourite to have a crack at when he's not playing well. Last week there was a whole lot of us who played poorly and he got singled out. It's pleasing that he's coped with that external pressure by performing as well as he has."

One of the most pleasing things for Hansen about the All Blacks' performance will be not only the intent to make an impact on the opposition physically, but also the combinations his team fell into after a bit of a scratchy start.

Despite having not played in a back three combination of Piutau and Naholo before, the trio looked a co-ordinated and hard-working unit. All have the potential for x-factor but in Highlander Naholo it is there in abundance as evidenced by his stunning break up the middle in the first half.

Dagg said: "I passed him that ball and I was like 'what's he going to do here' and then he made that awesome break. I was trying to catch up but he's pretty lightning."

Dan Carter said of his Crusaders teammate: "I'm really pleased for Izzy. He's been under a lot of pressure and he's been a bit frustrated this season with injuries. But it's great to see him with a smile on his face and being the attacking threat we know he can be. I thought he had a great game."