Dagg’s ripping return

Israel Dagg produced an influential all-round performance against Wales in the second Test, according to SARugbymag.co.za’s Opta-powered stats.

Dagg is back in more ways than one. On Saturday in Wellington, the fullback marked his 50th Test for the All Blacks, as well his first international game since July 2015, with a big performance.

Dagg's decision-making under pressure was a highlight. He made the right calls on both attack and defence, and was superb under the high ball. The stats support this assertion.

The fullback was constantly looking to spark something with ball in hand. Apart from contributing seven passes and one offload, he made 66 running metres, one clean break and scored an important try in the first half.

On defence, he made four tackles and missed just one. He forced one turnover at the breakdown, and put Wales under pressure with four well-directed kicks.

Wales enjoyed 56% of the possession, but battled to live with the All Blacks, particularly in the second half.

The All Blacks scored five tries overall, and racked up as many as 635m with ball in hand. However, more can be read into their defensive effort (138 tackles and only 19 tackles missed). Their defence forced seven turnovers, and the All Blacks runners proved lethal on the counter-attack.

See how your favourite player fared in this match

Photo: Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images

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