'Old man' Dagg ready to dazzle again

Dagg is been struggling with a knee injury and missed the All Blacks' two wins over the Wallabies in the first two rounds of Rugby Championship 2017.

However, he is back in the mix and is set to replace Ben Smith in the back three for the encounter against Los Pumas.

Smith was given a sabbatical for the remainder of the year.

"If I get an opportunity I will be fully pumped, excited and just looking forward to putting that jersey on again," Dagg said on the All Blacks website.

Dagg said he had to manage his workload to recover from the knee injury.

"It's just old-man syndrome and you've just got to look after the body. 

"If I don't I won't be able to train the next day," he added.

Dagg is set to play alongside Damian McKenzie and Rieko Ioane in the back three this weekend and he is more than happy to be labelled as a senior player.

Dagg will not be new to the role after playing an integral part in a young Crusaders' backline which impressed during Super Rugby.

"I had a good year doing that, I had a lot to learn obviously and I think for me it's not about all the talking, it's actions. 

"I've just got to lead by my actions and if the young players can see that then hopefully they can see my certain way of leading," Dagg said.

Source: @AllBlacks