King's High School is considering its future in the Highlanders First XV competition, while another school has questioned whether expanding the competition will raise the standard.
The competition, which started out with 12 teams in 2009, is set to undergo changes next year.
Otago Boys' High School, after winning the past four titles, has pulled out of the competition to play in the premier colts grade in Dunedin club rugby.
The competition proposes expanding to 16 teams, with Taieri College and Kavanagh College brought into the competition and another team added.
King's High School First XV coach Paul Miller said Otago Boys' had to make the best decision for itself.
''But it makes a mockery of the competition. When you get a team pulling out and teams deciding what pools they are going to be in then the competition is doomed to fail,'' he said.
Miller said it was no longer a structured competition and that is what kids wanted to play in.
''From a King's High School point of view we have to look at this long and hard. We are not certain we are going to be there.''
Miller questioned whether the competition was doing what it had set out to do - developing players.
''We look at what we are doing with our kids. How are we going to develop them? We are going to be playing cross-over games and playing against bottom tier teams. What is the point of going down to Central Southland College and whipping them by 80 points?''
The cost of the competition was also an issue, he said and if main sponsor Fulton Hogan pulled the pin, the cost to each school, now about $3500, would increase markedly. He also questioned the large number of dispensations handed out to allow over-age players to turn out for some sides.
King's High School was aiming to reinvigorate its rugby programme and Miller said he thought the best option was to have an Otago-wide school competition which also involved junior clubs.
''That would help the development of club rugby. The Highlanders competition is not working. There are too many variances to the rules and the travel factor is too big.''
John McGlashan College First XV team director Mike Idour said it was disappointing Otago Boys' had pulled out and also questioned the expansion to 16 teams.
''Obviously, now it is everybody in. But we thought it worked better when you had fewer teams and you had to work hard, scrap hard to get into the competition,'' Idour said.
He worried about the future of the Dunedin Metropolitan under-18 competition and whether it would have any teams.
Southland Boys' High School First XV coach Jason Dermody said there had been talk of his side also playing in the Dunedin colts grade, but cost factors and the fact the side would be relatively young next year led to the school deciding to stay in the Highlanders competition.
Dunstan High School First XV coach Tom Blaikie said it was not great to not have the region's marquee school team in the competition.
South Otago High School First XV coach Adam Whaanga said people had to remember the competition was about rugby and not school egos.
