Israel Dagg facts for kids
Dagg during the World Cup celebration parade, October 2011
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Israel Jamahl Akuhata Dagg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 6 June 1988 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Marton, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 186 cm (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 96 kg (212 lb; 15 st 2 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Lindisfarne College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Israel Jamahl Akuhata Dagg is a famous former rugby union player from New Zealand. He was born on June 6, 1988. He played for the Crusaders team in Super Rugby. He also played for the New Zealand Sevens team and for Hawke's Bay.
Israel Dagg played international rugby for New Zealand's national team, the All Blacks, from 2010 to 2017. His career ended early because of repeated knee injuries. Dagg scored 26 tries during his time with the All Blacks. He is known as one of the players who played the most games as an outside back for the team.
Dagg announced he was retiring from rugby on April 4, 2019. He shared this news on Instagram, explaining that his right knee injury continued to cause problems. After retiring, he joined the Crusaders' coaching and advisory staff. He also became a rugby commentator for Sky Sport NZ.
Contents
Growing Up in New Zealand
Israel Dagg was born in Marton, New Zealand. He went to Lindisfarne College in Hastings, which is in the Hawke's Bay area. Dagg has a mixed background; his grandmother was of Māori (Ngāti Kahungunu) and Samoan descent.
Starting His Rugby Journey
While he was still in high school, Dagg played for Hawke's Bay in the under-16 and under-19 teams. In April 2006, Dagg attended a special training course at the International Rugby Academy (IRANZ). His coaches there included Dave Rennie, a former coach for the Wallabies, and Jeff Wilson, a former player for Otago, Otago Highlanders, and New Zealand.
In 2006, Dagg made history by becoming the first high school player chosen for Hawke's Bay since Danny Lee. The New Zealand Rugby Almanack even named him one of the five most promising players for that year.
Playing for the All Blacks
First Games in 2010
Israel Dagg played his first game for the All Blacks against Ireland on June 12, 2010, in New Plymouth. He played again the next week against Wales, but he got injured during that game.
The coach, Graham Henry, decided to let Dagg rest for the second game against Wales. This gave experienced player Mils Muliaina a chance to play. Muliaina then started the first Tri Nations game against South Africa. He played very well, helping the All Blacks win 32–12.
Dagg was a substitute in the next game against the Springboks. He came onto the field and scored his first international try for the All Blacks. He weaved past two defenders and ran to the try line. This try helped New Zealand earn an extra point in the Investec Tri Nations as the All Blacks won 31–17.
Dagg scored his second try for the All Blacks in a very exciting moment. It happened against South Africa on August 21, 2010, in Johannesburg. The score was tied 22-all in the last minute of the game. Dagg followed a great run by Ma'a Nonu and scored the winning try, making the final score 29–22.
World Cup Success in 2011
During the group games of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Dagg became one of the top try scorers. He scored the very first try of the tournament in the opening game against Tonga. He scored another try in the same game before halftime. His next try came in the game against France. In total, he scored five tries in the tournament, which was the second-highest number of tries scored by any player.
Because Dagg played so well, Mils Muliaina did not start for the All Blacks as often. Muliaina was only two games away from playing his 100th test match. Dagg played in the final against France, which the All Blacks won.
After the Rugby World Cup, the IRB's Rugby News Service named Dagg as one of the Top 5 players of the tournament.
Strong Performances in 2012
Dagg was chosen for the 30-player team to play Ireland in New Zealand. He started all three games as the fullback. In the second game, he received a yellow card for a late tackle on a kicker. In the third game, he scored a try from a kick by Sonny Bill Williams. He also kicked a conversion when Aaron Cruden was injured. The All Blacks won the series of games.
Dagg started in all the 2012 Rugby Championship games for the All Blacks. He scored in the first game of the Rugby Championship against the Wallabies. This try came from a planned move with Dan Carter. He scored again in the second game against the Wallabies after a pass from Sonny Bill Williams. His third try of the championship was against South Africa, from passes by Sam Whitelock and then Kieran Read. The All Blacks won both the Bledisloe Cup and the Rugby Championship trophy that year.
During the end-of-year tour, he started in games against Scotland, Wales, and England. The game against England was the All Blacks' only loss that year. Dagg got injured in the Scotland game, which meant he missed the Italy game. He almost missed the Wales game too.
Undefeated Season in 2013
Dagg played in almost every game in 2013, missing only the match against Japan in Tokyo. He did not score many tries that year, but he was in great form helping his teammates score. The All Blacks won every game in 2013, completing their first undefeated season.
Injuries and Comebacks
Challenges in 2014
Dagg had injury problems in the first game against England, which kept him out of the rest of that series. Ben Smith, who usually played on the right wing, filled in for Dagg at fullback. Smith played so well that he kept the fullback position for the first two Bledisloe Cup games. Dagg got another chance against Argentina in his home area and played well enough for Smith to move back to the right wing for the rest of the Rugby Championship. Later, in a game against England, Dagg had some defensive struggles. This led to him losing his fullback spot to Smith for the last game against Wales.
Injury-Hit 2015
Israel Dagg had a very difficult year in 2015 because of injuries. He only played 5 games for the Crusaders and 3 games for the All Blacks. This meant he was not chosen for New Zealand's 2015 Rugby World Cup team. Dagg then went back to play for Hawke's Bay. He scored three tries in a game against Otago, but then he got injured again in his 50th game. This latest injury needed shoulder surgery, which meant he could not play for the rest of the year.
Return to Form in 2016
Dagg recovered from his shoulder injury and returned to play for the Crusaders in the 2016 Super Rugby season. Because another player, Nehe Milner-Skudder, was injured, and Dagg was playing very well (scoring 5 tries in his first 5 games), he was chosen for the All Blacks again. He was named in the 32-player team for the three-game series against Wales. He played fullback in two games and scored tries in both.
Ben Smith moved back to fullback for the 2016 Rugby Championship, and Dagg played on the wing for the series. Dagg scored 2 tries against Australia in Wellington in his first game as the right wing. This helped New Zealand win the Bledisloe Cup again.
He became the All Blacks' main choice for the right wing. He finished the competition as one of the top try scorers, with 5 tries, tied with Ben Smith. He also kicked a penalty goal from 47 meters away against Argentina. On the end-of-year tour, he rested for the first game against Ireland, which was the only game the All Blacks lost that year. However, he scored tries against Italy and France. In the France game, he played fullback again because Smith was injured.
Dagg finished 2016 as the All Blacks' top try scorer for the year. He scored 10 tries in the 12 games he played, beating Beauden Barrett and Ben Smith.
Final International Season in 2017
Even though he missed part of the Crusaders' Super Rugby winning season in 2017 due to knee surgery, Dagg was still the first-choice right winger for the All Blacks. He played in the series against the British and Irish Lions and the Pasifica Challenge against Samoa. Dagg scored a try in the 78–0 win against Samoa and helped Vaea Fifita score his first test try. Dagg played very well against the Lions in the first game, which was a 30–15 win. In the second game, he moved to fullback, but the All Blacks lost 24–21, which was a historic loss to the Lions. Dagg started the third game on the wing again. He passed Jonah Lomu and Sir John Kirwan to become the second-most capped All Blacks winger, only behind his former teammate Joe Rokocoko.
He missed the first two games against Australia due to injury. He returned to play against Argentina and scored a try before being replaced because he got another season-ending injury.
Last Games in 2018
Israel Dagg only played four games for the Crusaders in 2018. His season ended early in May because of a high tackle. In July, Dagg signed a short-term contract to play for Canon Eagles in Japan, which meant he could not play for the All Blacks for the rest of 2018. Dagg played three games for Canon before his knee problems forced him to leave Japan early.
Retirement in 2019
In April 2019, Dagg announced that he was retiring from rugby. He had a long-term knee injury that had stopped him from starting the season. Doctors advised him to stop playing rugby.
Life After Rugby
Television Appearances
Israel Dagg appeared in a New Zealand television show in 2023 called Clubhouse Rescue. He was on the show with Stephen Donald and Hamish Dodd.
Family Life
Dagg married his wife, Daisy, in 2015. They have two children together. Their son, Arlo, was born in April 2017, and their daughter, Tilly, was born in May 2018. In 2015, Dagg was in a safety advertisement for Air New Zealand. The ad was based on the Men in Black movies and also featured singer Stan Walker and actor Rip Torn.
See also
In Spanish: Israel Dagg para niños
