Head to Head: Dagg v Medard
Two of the more distinctive and eye-catching players in Sunday’s World Cup Final will roam at the back in no-man’s land. That is where fullbacks Israel Dagg and Maxime Médard are at their most dangerous.
Dagg has stood out as one of the most explosive and exciting backs in the tournament and looks like he is loving every minute of it, with his odd style of doing everything with his mouth wide open and wearing an expression of near disbelief that the defence has let him slip through their fingers once again.
The furry-faced Médard must be complimented on his outstanding sideburns before considering anything else, as those chops are so impressive that even Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl must be green with envy. However, Médard’s on-field exploits have been equally conspicuous – he is one of the few remaining Frenchman with some traditional flair about his game.
Dagg has made a bigger impact on the scoreboard than his French counterpart with five tries in the competition, two of those coming against France in their pool match last month. Médard has crossed the whitewash just once, but it was a decisive try against the old enemy England (in the quarterfinals).
Both players have spent some time out on the wing during the World Cup, but are far more suited to playing in the No.15 jersey with the rare gift of being a major weapon on the counter-attack from deep.
Thus far in the tournament Dagg has been rarely tested on defence, making just five tackles and missing one, while Médard has been relatively solid making 12 and missing two (both against the All Blacks).
A more telling statistic of their performances is the decision-making of when to kick, pass or run, which is commonly regarded as the key to the success of any fullback.
As expected both players choose to run the ball more often than not given that they share that strength in their games – with Dagg running 45% of the time and Médard running 58% of the time. If you consider the French tactics in the semifinal – where Médard was clearly instructed to kick the ball downfield over and over again – he may have had an even higher running percentage had that not been the case.
Oddly, when compared with many other fullbacks over the years, neither Dagg nor Médard (other than in the semifinals) choose to kick the ball all that often – Dagg 30% and Médard 26%.
Another thing they have in common is their ability to beat defenders and find holes in the defence. Dagg has been very good and had the better of 10 defenders already in the competition, averaging 41 running metres per match, while Médard has some staggering stats; beating 17 defenders and averaging 56 running metres per match.
Statistical comparison – Israel Dagg v Maxime Médard:
Dagg (23 years old):
Matches played: 4
Tries scored: 5
Try assists: 3
Tackles made: 5
Tackles missed: 1
Balls kicked/passed/run: 17/14/25
Total running metres: 165
Clean breaks: 2
Defenders beaten: 10
Médard (25 years old):
Matches played: 6
Tries scored: 1
Try assists: 0
Tackles made: 12
Tackles missed: 2
Balls kicked/passed/run: 19/12/43
Total running metres: 335
Clean breaks: 1
Defenders beaten: 17
Our verdict: “It’s tough to choose between their two, as Dagg is undeniably one of the stars of the tournament and has that much talked about x-factor about him. However, Médard is the gem in the French backline and could be the man for the big occasion to spark a glorious repeat of the famous ‘Try from the end of the world’ that won France the Test at Eden Park against the All Blacks in 1994. Dagg just edges the contest with the sense that he has one final trick up his sleeve for the final.”
By Timmy Hancox
