2013 Super Rugby season, Ranger was named in the All Blacks wider training squad and came off the bench in the first two tests against France before starting the final test. Abroad Later, Ranger signed a contract with Montpellier. All Blacks Coach Steve Hansen stated that in spite of this he would have selected Rene Ranger for the Rugby Championship. However, Ranger made himself unavailable for the All Blacks. He cited personal reasons for withdrawing from the squad. Instead Ranger captained Northland in the ITM Cup. Northland performed poorly through the season, ending up second from the bottom of the table with two wins, a draw and seven losses. After a successful season with Montpellier, with Montpellier reaching the semi finals of the Top 14 but being beaten by Castres at Lille, Ranger was invited to play for the Barbarians against an England 15 at Twickenham. Although he didn't score he played very well, and set up one of Hosea Gear's tries - the final result was Barbarians 39, England 29. After two seasons with, and initial resistance from Montpellier, Ranger gained an early release from his contract and announced his intention to return to New Zealand to play for North Harbour in the 2015 ITM Cup and rejoin the Blues for the 2016 season. He also focused on pushing for an All Blacks recall. His return to New Zealand rugby was hampered by slow recovery from neck surgery, which precluded his participation in the North Harbour ITM Cup campaign. In 2020, Ranger signed on to play for the Colorado Raptors of Major League Rugby. However, with the suspension of the season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Ranger returned to New Zealand. Return to New Zealand Ranger re-signed with Northland for the 2020 Mitre 10 Cup season. Despite being unfancied by many, Northland performed well to make the Championship final where they fell 36-24 to Hawke's Bay. Ranger was praised during the season for numerous good performances as part of Northland's run. After injuries to George Bridge and Manasa Mataele, Ranger earned a place in the Crusaders side for the 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa season as injury cover. Upon signing, Ranger commented that "chucking on the red jersey was a bit intimidating at times" in reference to his long association with the Blues. However Ranger did not play a game during the 2021 season. In Round 5 of the