Taine Randell

Through his teenage years, when he quickly followed national age group and secondary schools representations with an early debut at first class level, Taine Randell always seemed destined for rugby greatness.

And there can be little argument that he achieved considerable distinction: 61 games for the All Blacks including 51 tests, captaincy in 22 of those tests, 77 Super 12 games for the Highlanders and 83 provincial games for Otago, the highlight coming when he led the union to the NPC first division title of 1998.

But for all the merit in his career it is doubtful whether Randell quite took his place among the game’s absolute elite. As a loose forward he would rate behind others of recent vintage in Zinzan Brooke, Michael Jones, Richard McCaw and Josh Kronfeld. And as a captain he never managed to gain the legendary status of the likes of Wilson Whinerary, Brian Lochore and Sean Fitzpatrick.

As a player Randell suffered from his own versatility. He was a fine player in all three backrow positions, but was swapped and changed between them and never really settled into any one specialist role.

And while he strove conscientiously as captain he had the ill luck to be in charge while the All Blacks had two traumatic seasons in 1998: five consecutive losses being endured in 1998 to be followed by a bitter disappointment at the 1999 World Cup.

Randell was perceived by many to lack the confidence of some of the senior players at the time and perhaps even of his coach, John Hart.

That certainly was the inevitable suspicion which arose when early in 1999 there appeared to be an attempt behind the scenes to replace him as captain, only for that to be revised a little too late to have avoided some unhelpful publicity. That Randell was a fine leader, though, could not be questioned and it was perhaps unfortunate that he became the captain a couple of seasons too early. In his latter years Randell did appear to have some of the poise and composure that was not quite there in 1998-99.

He was taken on the All Blacks’ tour of France and Italy, having just turned 21, in 1995 and followed that with selection in the next tour to South Africa in 1996. That Randell was seen as an eventual test leader was confirned when he became captain of the midweek team in 1996, becoming at 21 years 275 days one of the youngest to be an All Black captain.

Randell became a test player for the first time in 1997, reinforcing his position in the lineup when Jones, who in the past season or two had become the first choice blindside flanker, was injured. Though not given the captaincy when Fitzpatrick through a knee injury could not start any of the internationals on the 1997 tour of Wales, England and Ireland he was still seen as the logical successor to Fitzpatrick. That happened suddenly in 1998 when finally Fitzpatrick’s injury became too chronic for him to carry on. And by now Randell had moved to No 8 to take over from another player to have retired, Brooke.

Randell, often under pressure, led the All Blacks though 1998 and 1999 and remained a member of the squad in 2000-01 when firstly Todd Blackadder and then Anton Oliver had taken over the captaincy. By 2001 with a try against Fiji Randell had taken his test try scoring tally to 12, which had included a couple in his first test as captain against England at Carisbrook in 1998.

But when John Mitchell and Robbie Deans suddenly took over the coaching from Wayne Smith and Tony Gilbert it was clear Randell’s All Black days were numbered. He missed all of the 2002 tri-nations series and though recalled to captain the All Blacks on the end of the year tour of England, France and Wales that appeared to be a token gesture. The side was grossly under strength and as captain Randell was on a hiding to nothing. His only satisfaction had been to raise his test appearances past 50. Despite good Super 12 form with the Highlanders, whom he captained over eight seasons, it was plain Randell was not in any World Cup reckoning.

His last major appearance in 2003 in New Zealand, before taking up an overseas contract, was for New Zealand Maori, for whom he had also played in 1996 and 2001, in the match against the touring England side.