Super Rugby Pacific: Blues confirm coach Vern Cotter will leave at season’s end to join Queensland Reds
Tuesday, 27 January 2026
Blues head coach Vern Cotter is out of the running for the All Blacks job after announcing he will move to the Reds at the end of Super Rugby Pacific.
Cotter said the timing felt right to move on and he was confident that the Blues were well set up for success in the future.
“When I arrived, I was brought in to help create a winning culture and over the past few years we’ve had a lot of mature, honest conversations about where the club was and where it needed to go,” Cotter said in a statement.
“The landscape has changed significantly since I came in, and it genuinely feels like the club is well set up for its next phase of evolution.
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“There has been a lot of good during my time here, and I’m proud of what we’ve built together.
“Timing is always important in this game, and it feels like the right moment for both me and the club to plan for what comes next.
“This club has a proud history and a special connection with its people. Right now, my focus is firmly on the 2026 season and doing everything I can to help this team perform at its best and leave the club in a strong position.”
Blues chief executive Karl Budge also explained the decision to announce Cotter’s future ahead of the season.
“This has been part of a long-term strategy, and both Vern and the club felt it was the right thing to be open and clear before the season begins,” Budge said in a statement.
“We hugely appreciate everything Vern has done and continues to do for the club. He has delivered exactly what he was brought in to do.
“The Blues have a strong performance environment, clear DNA of how we want to play and know what it takes to be champions.”
Budge also said Cotter’s commitment to the Blues would be unwavering despite his pending departure to Australian rugby.
“Vern is 100 percent focused on the job at hand,” Budge said.
“He is deeply invested in this playing group and this organisation, and that does not change. We know he will continue to lead with the same professionalism and drive that has defined his time here.”
The Blues said a head coach appointment process is already under way, with more details to follow in the coming weeks.
Cotter is the second high-profile coach to rule himself out of All Blacks contention, following in the footsteps of Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt.