Former All Black winger Israel Dagg announced his retirement from rugby Friday after failing to recover from a knee injury.
The World Cup winner played 66 Tests for New Zealand, debuting against Ireland in 2010, and also won back-to-back Super Rugby titles with the Canterbury Crusaders in 2017 and 2018.
"While it's bittersweet to mark the end of my playing career, I'm grateful to still be able to contribute to this Crusaders team in 2019 and help prepare some of the younger squad members to take the next step in their own careers,"he said.
New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Tew hailed Dagg, 30, as "one of the greats of our game".
"He was an excitement machine on the rugby field and fans knew that when he got the ball in his hands that anything could happen," Tew said.
Dagg was part of the All Blacks 2011 World Cup win but was dropped for the 2015 campaign, when the New Zealanders were also victorious.
He bounced back determined to prove a point and again became an All Black regular, playing his last Test against Argentina in September 2017.
Crusaders coach Scott Robertson said Dagg had become a key leader for the side in his eight years with Canterbury.
"Izzy has made such a massive contribution to the Crusaders both on and off the field over the past eight seasons," he said.
"He's a world-class player, a great team man and an absolute champion. He has been a huge part of the success of this team and his willingness to take the time to mentor the young guys coming through has been hugely important in their development.
"Izzy has been a leader within the Crusaders for a long time and has been driving our culture throughout his career. He'll stay in our environment and remain an important part of this 2019 campaign - which shows the measure of the man."
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said Dagg was a "special man" who would leave a mark on the All Blacks environment.
"It's always a shame when injury forces a player to retire, but 'Izzy' will leave our game knowing that he'll forever be remembered as an outstanding player who definitely enhanced the All Blacks jersey and contributed to the legacy of the team," he said.
"He had an outstanding debut season for us in 2010, scoring that final try in the Test against the Springboks in Johannesburg, and then took that form into the Rugby World Cup in 2011 where he was one of the stars of the tournament, and he played a major part in the All Blacks being successful at that tournament.
"We'll all miss his outstanding rugby skills on the field, but he was a real character off the field as well. We'll look back fondly at his time in the black jersey - he's a very special man and a very special player."
