Ben Smith retains place over Israel Dagg as All Blacks name team to face Australia

The All Blacks confirmed Ben Smith as their first-choice full-back in the team named on Thursday for the opening Rugby Championship Test against Australia, with World Cup winner Israel Dagg finding himself on the outer.

Dagg failed to even make the match-day squad for the clash in Sydney, as coach Steve Hansen stuck with the line-up that completed a 3-0 whitewash against England in June.

The run-on side features only two injury-related changes from the third England test, with Wyatt Crockett in for the sidelined Tony Woodcock and Conrad Smith returning from a hand injury to demote Malakai Fekitoa to the bench.

Conrad Smith’s return follows Hansen’s regular policy of slotting his injured stars straight back into the team once they are fit, regardless of how their replacement has played.

But he abandoned the practice when it came to choosing a full-back, admitting Ben Smith’s form had been irresistible since he took up the position after Dagg suffered a knee injury in the first Test against England.

“While we have been very happy with Israel Dagg’s performances at 15, Ben has come in and raised the bar to another level,” he said.

“The challenge for Israel now is to get his performances – when he gets the opportunity – to an even higher level.”