Aussie star's cricket pitch in vain for Dagg

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A conversation with Australian speedster Brett Lee had a teenage fast bowler Israel Dagg convinced him he would chase an international cricket career five years ago.

As the Lindisfarne College 16-year-old charged in and hurled down 140kmh-plus deliveries in the McLean Park nets in Napier, even the touring world champions were impressed.

"It was a great experience. I spoke to Brett Lee and had a great chat with him, he said I could make it a long way in the game if I stuck at it. I decided I was going towards cricket," Dagg recalled today.

Then, in a decision that will haunt New Zealand Cricket but bring sighs of relief from opening batsmen, rugby came calling.

"Hawke's Bay then offered me a contract and I got picked for the Magpies when I was still at school. That kind of turned the tables back to rugby, I stuck at it and made a few teams and that was it..."

It didn't seem a bad call today as the 22-year-old was named by coach Graham Henry as his starting fullback for a test debut against Ireland here on Saturday.

Dagg has always done things in a hurry.

He recalled being clocked at a Shane Bond-esque 143kmh at a fast bowling clinic as a 15-year-old - "I won a signed bat so I was pretty stoked" - but now his cricket is restricted to the backyard variety.

That's unless a confident teammate like Jimmy Cowan strolls over with $100 in his pocket.

"I've already bowled out Jimmy. He had a bet with me that I had an over to bowl him out and I bowled him out second ball."

Since he became the first schoolboy since Danny Lee in 1994 to be picked for Hawke's Bay's rugby team, it's all flown by for the gifted 1.88m, 94kg fullback -- New Zealand Secondary Schools, New Zealand under-19, New Zealand Sevens... then, on a lazy Sunday afternoon last month, he heard his name read out on TV.

Named in the 26-man squad for the June tests after a sharp 2009 for Hawke's Bay followed by an impressive Super 14 for the Highlanders, Dagg never expected to be starting against Ireland.

"I thought I'd just be learning the gameplan and all the moves, but to get a start is pretty special, a good opportunity to express myself. I'm just excited."

So excited that he made a slight tweak of coach Henry's rules when the starting 15 were named in secret to the players at their training camp in Auckland last weekend.

"They named it on Saturday, so we had plenty of time to get our heads around it. We weren't allowed to tell anyone... but I think I told my girlfriend and my mum and dad..."

Dagg is rooming with 60-test veteran Joe Rokocoko, who with fellow winger Cory Jane will guide him through on Saturday, and after two training sessions in the Taranaki chill feels relaxed but apprehensive.

His Hawke's Bay debut against Counties-Manukau had its moments - "Lelia Masaga stepped me and scored, that's what I remember" - so Dagg hopes for a few more positives at Yarrow Stadium.

"I'm pretty cruisy, eh, I'm just relaxed. My mum says I'm a pretty laidback kid. I'll just wait for that 7.30 kickoff and I'll be in there. I haven't built up to a test before so I'm sure come Thursday and Friday I'll be pretty nervous in my room."

And the instructions from coach Graham Henry will be simple.

"He's got a great skill set for a fullback. It's just a matter of him being comfortable at this level," Henry said.

"He just needs to do his core job well without trying to push the boundaries. He's an exciting prospect."

- NZPA