Rugby: All Black Dagg out for three months

Israel Dagg. Photo / Getty Images

Israel Dagg is still hanging on to his dream to play for the All Blacks at the World Cup despite being sidelined for the next three months.

"Hopefully I can get a couple of games in for the Magpies and play my way into the World Cup through the ITM Cup," Dagg told Hawke's Bay Today yesterday before having surgery on his quad injury in Christchurch.

The Hawke's Bay Magpies fullback played six tests for the All Blacks last year before a quad injury forced him out of the end of year tour to the United Kingdom.

"This latest injury is the same quad but a different part. It's definitely not the time to be injured but if we do everything right with the rehab I could be back playing by the end of July.

"I'll just have to take each step of the rehab as it comes, get the strength back in the quad again and keep positive," said Dagg.

The decision to operate on the injury which forced Dagg from the field during the May 7 win against the Stomers in Cape Town was made after Dagg, 22, visited a specialist yesterday. He won't know until tomorrow whether he will be able to travel north with the Crusaders on Friday and assist with promotional activities in the buildup to Saturday night's match against the Chiefs at Napier's McLean Park.

He is predicting the Crusaders to bounce back in style from their 33-20 loss to the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Sunday morning.

"I haven't spoken to the boys since the loss. It didn't make good watching but that's rugby. Remember the manner in which we bounced back from our loss to the Highlanders last month," recalled Dagg.

"I was looking forward to coming home to the Bay and showing the boys around. Hopefully I still can."

Dagg was hoping to take Crusaders winger Sean Maitland to the Napier Golf Club to play the "decider" in a series between the pair which began back back in December. With an 85 Dagg beat Maitland by three shots at Pegasus but then lost by 21 shots to him at Clearwater.

Naturally Dagg was hoping the Hawke's Bay supporters would back "the red and blacks" on Saturday night. Your's truly suggested the Cruaders should draw the most support with his Napier Pirate Rugby and Sports club members, winger Zac Guildford's Napier Technical club members, first five-eighth Matt Berquists's Napier Old Boys Marist club members and halfback Kahn Fotuali'i's MAC club members.

The Chiefs will be relying on hooker Hika Elliot's Tamatea club members and prop Sona Taumalolo's Clive club members for support.

"Looking at it that way we should be right," replied Dagg.

In typical Dagg fashion he hadn't lost his sense of humour in the wake of his bad news yesterday.

"Mum is down here being my maid. I'm sure she will make sure I do everything right," he quipped referring to his mother Horiana.