Taine Randell
Encyclopedia
Taine Randell is a retired New Zealand
rugby union player. He was a versatile loose forward
and a former All Black captain.
(NPC) at the age of 19. His All Black debut was versus Italy 'A' at the age of 20, and his test debut versus Fiji
, age 22. In his time as an All Black he scored 12 tries for a total of 60 points.
where he completed degrees in law and commerce. He played for Otago in the National Provincial Championship
and the Otago Highlanders in 1996 in the opening season of the Super 14
Randell played his first game for the All Blacks in 1995 against an Italy A selection.
Randell was 21 when he first captained the All Blacks in South Africa in 1996 in four non-test games and only 23 when he first captained the All Blacks
vs England
in 1998. Randell was selected as captain to replace Sean Fitzpatrick
by new coach John Hart. At the time there was some controversy about this selection as Randell was quite young and inexperienced and it is not clear that he himself wanted to be captain. It is widely supposed that Hart wanted to select a new captain who had not been an All Black under former coach Laurie Mains
.
In 1999, Randell captaining the Otago Highlanders to an 8-3 regular season record and subsequently to the 1999 Super 12 Final
where they lost to the Canterbury Crusaders in a closely fought match 24-19. Randell captained the Highlanders for seven years from 1997 to 2003.
Randell's low moment came during the 1999 Rugby World Cup
where he led the team during the defeat to France in the semi-final. Randell left New Zealand to spend a month in Florida
in the United States
to get away from the negative media spotlight.
After this defeat, Todd Blackadder
became captain, although Randell retained his place in the team for 2000 and 2001.
and Robbie Deans
took over the coaching of the All Blacks from Wayne Smith
and Tony Gilbert
in October 2001 Randell was dropped from the All Blacks. He missed all of the 2002 Tri-Nations series, but after his form in the 2002 Super 12 season earned him a recall to captain the All Blacks on the end of the year tour of England, France and Wales. The tour resulted in one win against Wales (his last test as Captain), a draw with France, and a loss to England. During the tour Randell raised his test appearances past 50. He continued to play for the Highlanders, but was not selected for the 2003 Rugby World Cup
.
Taine then left New Zealand just before the 2003 Rugby World Cup and relocated with his family to Central London
. He signed with the English Premier League Team Saracens
in August 2003. He retired at the end of their 2005-2006 season, despite offers from Saracens to return to play for 2006-07. During his final year at Saracens Taine said he was accused of being lazy and not running at players enough.
in London
from mid-2006 through to October 2008. He also became a part owner in the big easy on the Kings Road.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
rugby union player. He was a versatile loose forward
Rugby union positions
In the game rugby union, there are fifteen players on each team, comprising eight forwards and seven backs . Depending upon the competition, there may be up to eight replacement players. Early games consisted primarily of forwards that attacked plus a handful of "tends" that played back in defence...
and a former All Black captain.
Summary
In his 61 game tenure as an All Black, Randall played 51 tests, including 22 as captain. He also captained Otago in the National Provincial ChampionshipNational Provincial Championship
The National Provincial Championship, or NPC, is the major domestic rugby competition in New Zealand. The NPC has seen many alterations to its format and brand. Since 2006 the National Championship has been split into 2 competitions, the ITM Cup and the Heartland Championship...
(NPC) at the age of 19. His All Black debut was versus Italy 'A' at the age of 20, and his test debut versus Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
, age 22. In his time as an All Black he scored 12 tries for a total of 60 points.
Early career
Randell excelled as a rugby player, cricketer, and student at Lindisfarne College near Hastings and in 1992 he went to the University of OtagoUniversity of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
where he completed degrees in law and commerce. He played for Otago in the National Provincial Championship
National Provincial Championship
The National Provincial Championship, or NPC, is the major domestic rugby competition in New Zealand. The NPC has seen many alterations to its format and brand. Since 2006 the National Championship has been split into 2 competitions, the ITM Cup and the Heartland Championship...
and the Otago Highlanders in 1996 in the opening season of the Super 14
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
Randell played his first game for the All Blacks in 1995 against an Italy A selection.
Randell was 21 when he first captained the All Blacks in South Africa in 1996 in four non-test games and only 23 when he first captained the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
vs England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1998. Randell was selected as captain to replace Sean Fitzpatrick
Sean Fitzpatrick
Sean Fitzpatrick MNZM is a former rugby union footballer who represented New Zealand, and is widely regarded as one of the finest players ever to come from that country. He is also the son of former player Brian Fitzpatrick....
by new coach John Hart. At the time there was some controversy about this selection as Randell was quite young and inexperienced and it is not clear that he himself wanted to be captain. It is widely supposed that Hart wanted to select a new captain who had not been an All Black under former coach Laurie Mains
Laurie Mains
Laurence William 'Laurie' Mains MNZM is a former rugby union footballer and coach who represented New Zealand. Mains' representative career started when he first played for Otago in 1967. He made his All Blacks début in 1971, against the British and Irish Lions. His last Test was against Ireland...
.
In 1999, Randell captaining the Otago Highlanders to an 8-3 regular season record and subsequently to the 1999 Super 12 Final
1999 Super 12 season
The 1999 Super 12 season was the fourth season of the Super 12, contested by teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The season ran from February to May 1999, with each team playing all the others once...
where they lost to the Canterbury Crusaders in a closely fought match 24-19. Randell captained the Highlanders for seven years from 1997 to 2003.
Randell's low moment came during the 1999 Rugby World Cup
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
where he led the team during the defeat to France in the semi-final. Randell left New Zealand to spend a month in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to get away from the negative media spotlight.
After this defeat, Todd Blackadder
Todd Blackadder
Todd Julian Blackadder is a former professional New Zealand rugby union player and professional rugby coach. He served as Director of Rugby for the Tasman Rugby Union before being appointed to succeed Robbie Deans as coach of Super 14 team the Crusaders...
became captain, although Randell retained his place in the team for 2000 and 2001.
Later career
When John MitchellJohn Mitchell (rugby player)
John Eric Paul Mitchell, is a noted former rugby union player and former coach for the New Zealand All Blacks. Mitchell's rugby career blossomed with the club side Fraser-Tech after he moved from King Country in 1984 and was soon elected Waikato Colts captain...
and Robbie Deans
Robbie Deans
Robert Maxwell Deans is the current coach of the Wallabies and former All Black. He is the former coach of the Crusaders. He also served as assistant to former All Blacks coach John Mitchell between late 2001 and 2003...
took over the coaching of the All Blacks from Wayne Smith
Wayne Smith (rugby player)
Wayne Ross Smith is a former rugby union footballer, and currently a rugby union coach. He is currently the backs coach for New Zealand's national rugby union team the All Blacks. He played provincial rugby for Canterbury and became an All Black in 1980. He played first five-eighth, gaining 35...
and Tony Gilbert
Tony Gilbert
Antonio C. "Tony" Gilbert is a Free Agent American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia...
in October 2001 Randell was dropped from the All Blacks. He missed all of the 2002 Tri-Nations series, but after his form in the 2002 Super 12 season earned him a recall to captain the All Blacks on the end of the year tour of England, France and Wales. The tour resulted in one win against Wales (his last test as Captain), a draw with France, and a loss to England. During the tour Randell raised his test appearances past 50. He continued to play for the Highlanders, but was not selected for the 2003 Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
.
Taine then left New Zealand just before the 2003 Rugby World Cup and relocated with his family to Central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
. He signed with the English Premier League Team Saracens
Saracens F.C.
Saracens are a professional rugby union team based in St. Albans, England – although they play their home games at Vicarage Road, in Watford. They are currently members of the Aviva Premiership, the top level of domestic rugby union in England...
in August 2003. He retired at the end of their 2005-2006 season, despite offers from Saracens to return to play for 2006-07. During his final year at Saracens Taine said he was accused of being lazy and not running at players enough.
Post rugby career
Randell pursued a career in finance and was a successful commodity brokerCommodity broker
A commodity broker is a firm or individual who executes orders to buy or sell commodity contracts on behalf of clients and charges them a commission. A firm or individual who trades for his own account is called a trader. Commodity contracts include futures, options, and similar financial...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from mid-2006 through to October 2008. He also became a part owner in the big easy on the Kings Road.