Where to now for Taine Randell?
After 38 tests on the trot, being made captain of the All Blacks at 21 and leading the side in 19 tests, he has gained only one more cap on the Eoropean tour - and that as a substitute against France.
He is not wanted at No 8, he has been usurped as a No 6 by Reuben Thorne and Filo Tiatia, and is in rugby limboland.
National coach Wayne Smith sympathises with the Otago loose forward, suggesting he suffered when they decided not to bring Josh Kronfeld and instead use Scott Robertson as the specialist openside flanker.
Randell was the back-up, but also adaptable enough to cover all the other loose forward jobs. That meant he had to be cover as a reserve. It was not practical to have him start on the blindside and then swap to openside if necessary.
"He has paid a price for our decisions, but he can put that right in the Super 12," Smith said.
He suggested Randell should play either No 6 or No 7 in the Super 12. He did not enjoy playing No 8, and was carrying too much baggage from playing there.
"I personally think he would be a good No 7 because of his linking and his nous in that contact area," Smith said.
However, he would need to improve his fitness were he to try to succeed Kronfeld at the Highlanders.
There will be interesting times down south with all sorts of coaching rearrangements in the Highlanders and Otago next season.
The appointment of John Boe as the Highlanders' assistant offers a chance for the Waikato man to show he has been unfairly treated at the appointments table.
But the spotlight will be on his all-round performance after his regular knock-backs up north.
There is great merit in the argument that it was better for Laurie Mains to deliver his rugby knowledge to New Zealand rather than South African players. A coaching drain rather than a player exodus has become New Zealand rugby's weakness in recent years.
Coaches have to be able to see a career path, otherwise they will continue to disappear.
Resurrecting Mains for next year's NPC makes you wonder: what have Otago's coaching plans been and, if successful, will Mains once more eye the All Blacks job?
href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=159627&thesection=Story&thesubsection=&reportID=56528">Test schedule/scoreboard
Randell falls into limbo from top
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