Dagg helps Crusaders ease past Jaguares
The five tries to two (32-15) win sees the Crusaders close the gap at the top of the New Zealand conference and global standings to just two points.
Central to the win was Israel Dagg, who returned to the starting XV to score two tries and make a statement about his All Black aspirations.
It was the sixth win on the trot for the seven-time champions and Dagg provided the impetus as the Crusaders raced to a 22-3 half-time lead, scoring one try and setting up another.
He followed up with a spectacular solo effort after the break to end hopes of a Jaguares revival, brushing off two defenders as he raced to the line.
The 27-year-old, discarded for last year's World Cup then sidelined with a shoulder injury, is a certain contender for an international recall if he can maintain such blistering form.
It was the sixth defeat in a row even though they were nearly at full strength after squad rotations, leaving them with a single win so far in their debut season.
"We had a bad game, especially in the first half, but it's part of our learning curve," assistant coach Felipe Contepomi said.
"The Crusaders are one of the best teams in the competition and we made a lot of unforced errors. It's disappointing."
The Crusaders almost had a try in the first two minutes after stealing the ball in a line-out, with the Jaguares stopping Nemani Nadolo just short of the line.
Andy Ellis made no mistake three minutes later, touching down after Dagg slipped him a defence-splitting pass.
The Crusaders then ran away with the match, notching two tries when Jaguares fullback Joaquin Tuculet was sinbinned for slowing down play.
Dagg took advantage of the extra space for his first five-pointer, then Richie Mo'unga stripped the ball from Jeronimo de la Fuente for another to make it 19-3.
A Mo'unga penalty then made it 22-3 at half-time.
Facundo Isa clawed one back for the Argentines after the restart, darting from the back of a maul then powering past Ellis.
The Crusaders restored their dominance with tries to Kieran Read and Dagg, although Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias crossed for a late consolation try to the visitors.
Man of the match: You can always bank on the Jaguares veterans like captain Agustín Creevy and flyhalf Juan Martín Hernández to produce classy performances. But this was a bit one-sided at times – with Johnny McNicholl, Ryan Crotty, Nemani Nadolo, Kieran Read, Matt Todd, Luke Romano and Codie Taylor all having a big influence. However, our award foes to the Crusaders' All Black fullback Israel Dagg – who scored two tries and had a hand a couple of others. He showed that his days in the All Black jumper is far from over.
The scorers:
For the Crusaders:
Tries: Ellis, Dagg 2, Mo'unga, Read
Cons: Mo'unga 2
Pens: Mo'unga
For the Jaguares:
Tries: Isa, Iglesias
Con: Hernández
Pen: Hernández
Yellow card: Joaquin Tuculet (Jaguares, 22 – professional foul, killing the ball)
Teams:
Crusaders: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Johnny McNicholl, 13 Kieron Fonotia, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Nemani Nadolo, 10 Richie Mo'unga, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Kieran Read (captain), 7 Matt Todd, 6 Jordan Taufua, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody.
Replacements: 16 Ged Robinson, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Mike Alaalatoa, 19 Jimmy Tupou, 20 Tim Boys, 21 Mitchell Drummond, 22 Sean Wainui, 23 Ben Volavola.
Jaguares: 15 Joaquín Tuculet, 14 Matías Orlando, 13 Jerónimo de la Fuente, 12 Santiago González Iglesias, 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 10 Juan Martín Hernández, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Facundo Isa, 7 Rodrigo Báez, 6 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 5 Matías Alemanno, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Agustín Creevy (captain), 1 Santiago García Botta.
Replacements: 16 Facundo Bosch, 17 Felipe Arregui, 18 Enrique Pieretto, 19 Juan Cruz Guillemaín, 20 Pablo Matera, 21 Felipe Ezcurra, 22 Joaquín Paz, 23 Lucas González Amorosino.
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Jamie Nutbrown (New Zealand)
TMO: Aaron Paterson (New Zealand)
