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.

Randell excelled as rugby player, cricketer and student at Lindisfarne College near Hastings and in 1992 followed many other products to Otago, where he studied at the university and graduated with degrees in law and commerce. In Otago Randell quickly came under the wing of the then provincial coach Gordon Hunter and played as a 17-year old for Otago in 1992.

Though Otago then had outstanding backrow players in Kronfeld, Jamie Joseph and Arran Pene, Randell became a regular selection from the 1994 season, filling in on either flank or No 8, a pattern which probably to his cost persisted through his career. In the 1993-94-95 seasons Randell appeared in 11 New Zealand Colts matches and was the captain in the last two seasons.

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.

Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

FULL NAME

Taine Cheyenne Randell

BORN

Tuesday, 5 November 1974 in Hastings

AGE

35

PHYSICAL

1.88m, 110kg

POSITION

Loose Forward

LAST SCHOOL

Lindisfarne College

RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from)

Dunedin

PROVINCE

Otago

ALL BLACK DEBUT

Wednesday, 25 October 1995
v Italy 'A' at Catania
aged 20 years, 354 days

INTERNATIONAL DEBUT

Saturday, 14 June 1997
v Fiji at Albany
aged 22 years, 221 days

LAST TEST

Saturday, 23 November 2002
v Wales at Cardiff
aged 28 years, 18 days

ALL BLACK TESTS

51 (22 as Captain)

ALL BLACK GAMES

10 (5 as Captain)

TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES

61 (27 as Captain)

ALL BLACK TEST POINTS

60pts (12t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

ALL BLACK GAME POINTS

0pts

TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS

60pts (12t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

ALL BLACK NUMBER

949

The All Black Games that Randell played.
(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced

Click on the date to be taken to the Match Card

1995

 25 Oct vs Italy 'A' at Catania 51-21  

 4 Nov vs Languedoc-Roussillon at Beziers 30-9  

 7 Nov vs Cote Basque-Landes at Bayonne 47-20  

 14 Nov vs French Selection at Nancy 55-17  

1996

 6 Aug vs Boland Invitation XV at Worcester 32-21  (Captain)

 13 Aug vs Eastern Province at Port Elizabeth 31-23  (Captain)

 20 Aug vs Western Transvaal at Potchefstroom 31-0  (Captain)

 27 Aug vs Griqualand West at Kimberley 18-18  (Captain)

1997

 14 Jun vs Fiji at Albany 71-5  

 21 Jun vs Argentina at Wellington 93-8  

 28 Jun vs Argentina at Hamilton 62-10 (-) 

 5 Jul vs Australia at Christchurch 30-13  

 19 Jul vs South Africa at Johannesburg 35-32  

 26 Jul vs Australia at Melbourne 33-18  

 9 Aug vs South Africa at Auckland 55-35  

 16 Aug vs Australia at Dunedin 36-24  

 8 Nov vs Llanelli at Llanelli 81-3  

 15 Nov vs Ireland at Dublin 63-15  

 22 Nov vs England at Manchester 25-8  

 29 Nov vs Wales at London 42-7 (-) 

 6 Dec vs England at London 26-26  

1998

 20 Jun vs England at Dunedin 64-22  (Captain)

 27 Jun vs England at Auckland 40-10  (Captain)

 11 Jul vs Australia at Melbourne 16-24  (Captain)

 25 Jul vs South Africa at Wellington 3-13  (Captain)

 1 Aug vs Australia at Christchurch 23-27  (Captain)

 15 Aug vs South Africa at Durban 23-24  (Captain)

 29 Aug vs Australia at Sydney 14-19  (Captain)

1999

 11 Jun vs New Zealand 'A' at Christchurch 22-11  (Captain)

 18 Jun vs Samoa at Albany 71-13  (Captain)

 26 Jun vs France at Wellington 54-7  (Captain)

 10 Jul vs South Africa at Dunedin 28-0  (Captain)

 24 Jul vs Australia at Auckland 34-15  (Captain)

 7 Aug vs South Africa at Pretoria 34-18  (Captain)

 28 Aug vs Australia at Sydney 7-28  (Captain)

 3 Oct vs Tonga at Bristol 45-9  (Captain)

 9 Oct vs England at London 30-16  (Captain)

 14 Oct vs Italy at Huddersfield 101-3 (-) (Captain)

 24 Oct vs Scotland at Edinburgh 30-18  (Captain)

 31 Oct vs France at London 31-43  (Captain)

 4 Nov vs South Africa at Cardiff 18-22  (Captain)

2000

 16 Jun vs Tonga at Albany 102-0 (-) 

 24 Jun vs Scotland at Dunedin 69-20 (-) 

 1 Jul vs Scotland at Auckland 48-14 (+) 

 15 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 39-35  

 22 Jul vs South Africa at Christchurch 25-12  

 5 Aug vs Australia at Wellington 23-24  

 19 Aug vs South Africa at Johannesburg 40-46  

 18 Nov vs France at Marseille 33-42 (+) 

 25 Nov vs Italy at Genova 56-19 (+) 

2001

 23 Jun vs Argentina at Christchurch 67-19  

 30 Jun vs France at Wellington 37-12 (-) 

 21 Jul vs South Africa at Cape Town 12-3  

 11 Aug vs Australia at Dunedin 15-23 (-) 

 25 Aug vs South Africa at Auckland 26-15  

 1 Sep vs Australia at Sydney 26-29 (-) 

2002

 8 Jun vs Italy at Hamilton 64-10  

 29 Jun vs Fiji at Wellington 68-18 (-) 

 9 Nov vs England at London 28-31  (Captain)

 16 Nov vs France at Paris 20-20  (Captain)

 23 Nov vs Wales at Cardiff 43-17 (-) (Captain)

Points scored for the All Blacks

t

c

p

dg

pts

vs Argentina, 28 Jun 1997

1

-

-

-

5

vs South Africa, 9 Aug 1997

1

-

-

-

5

vs Australia, 16 Aug 1997

1

-

-

-

5

vs England, 22 Nov 1997

1

-

-

-

5

vs Wales, 29 Nov 1997

1

-

-

-

5

vs England, 20 Jun 1998

2

-

-

-

10

vs England, 27 Jun 1998

1

-

-

-

5

vs South Africa, 15 Aug 1998

1

-

-

-

5

vs Samoa, 18 Jun 1999

1

-

-

-

5

vs Italy, 14 Oct 1999

1

-

-

-

5

vs Argentina, 23 Jun 2001

1

-

-

-

5

Totals

12

0

0

0

60

Test Record by Nation

P

W

D

L

t

c

p

dg

pts

Argentina

3

3

-

-

2

-

-

-

10

Australia

12

5

-

7

1

-

-

-

5

England

6

4

1

1

4

-

-

-

20

Fiji

2

2

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

France

5

2

1

2

-

-

-

-

-

Ireland

1

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Italy

3

3

-

-

1

-

-

-

5

Samoa

1

1

-

-

1

-

-

-

5

Scotland

3

3

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

South Africa

11

7

-

4

2

-

-

-

10

Tonga

2

2

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Wales

2

2

-

-

1

-

-

-

5

Totals

51

35

2

14

12

0

0

0

60