Reappointed Otago Highlanders captain Taine Randell will be encouraged to specialise as a blindside flanker in this year's Super 12.

The 26-year-old Randell was on Monday confirmed as Highlanders skipper for the fifth consecutive season, making him and Todd Blackadder the competition's longest-serving leaders.

Highlanders coach Peter Sloane said Randell would wear the No 6 jersey this year. "That's where he wants to play and we want to support him," Sloane said.

Randell said blindside flanker was where he had always wanted to specialise. "It's no secret that's where I prefer but, through injuries and other circumstances, I've played elsewhere," he said. "It's really been through necessity that I've covered the three loose forward positions. With the loosies we've got this year, hopefully I'll get to play regularly at No 6."

Randell, who has 40 Test caps, but who was on the bench for the last three All Blacks internationals of 2000, is a man with a mission this season. "I was really disappointed how it (the year) finished up for me," he said.

"I felt I'd played pretty well during the year and I'm just looking forward to playing No 6 and getting good rhythm in my game."

Randell said he liked to think his best rugby was still ahead of him. "You look at guys like Zinny (Zinzan Brooke) and others who came into their own at 27-28, or later," he said. "I'm excited about that and I'm excited about our team because each year we're getting a little older, a little better and more hardened to the rigours of Super 12 and international rugby."

While it is little over a month since the All Blacks returned from their European tour, Randell is eager to get back into the fray. "For any normal sort of working person a month is a good time off so I'm keen to get back into it," he said.

Sloane said Randell's record as Highlanders captain was most impressive. "While we might not have won it (the Super 12), we've been fairly successful for a small catchment area (the Highlanders have been in the playoffs for each of the past three years)," Sloane said.

"He's still a young man and perhaps he's a matured man," he said. "We needed someone to lead us who was still passionate about being the captain. We're blessed with two or three leadership options and I'm a coach who says a team now needs more than one leader." No vice-captain has been named, but Anton Oliver will take over if Randell is not on the field, while Jeff Wilson will also fill a leadership role.

Randell said he believed the public expectations for the 2001 Highlanders were not as high as for last year's team. "People tended to downgrade our performance last year, but you look at the players we had, the injuries we had, and I believe what we achieved (third) was pretty good," he said. "This year I think we've got potentially a better team so our goals (the playoffs) are pretty obvious."

Meanwhile, the Highlanders still have to confirm the last member of their playing complement. The 26th player will be a fullback/wing and Sloane said the position was a concern.

With South African Justin Swart evidently not available, the Highlanders are considering various options. "We're in no hurry to pick the 26th player because there's no-one who stands out and says 'pick me'," Sloane said.

James Jowsey, who played for Otago for part of the national championship last year, was with the Highlanders when they assembled for fitness testing on Monday. Sloane said Jeff Wilson was an option to play at fullback, but he preferred to play him on the right wing.