Cotter in position to coach Highlanders

Vern Cotter.
Vern Cotter.
As the coaching merry-go-round continues at the top level, the Highlanders may have moved a tad closer to having a coach for 2018.

The franchise has farewelled Jamie Joseph to Japan after six years in charge and will have Tony Brown at the helm for the 2017 season before he, too, heads to the Land of the Rising Sun.

Who will move into the hot seat in 2018 is still unclear, but some coaching changes on the other side of the world could affect the Highlanders.

The Scotland Rugby Union announced last week Vern Cotter would be stepping down as Scotland coach in the middle of next year to be replaced by Gregor Townsend.

Townsend, a former Scottish international, was coaching the Glasgow Warriors but the Scottish union has moved him up the chain.

The job at Glasgow has been taken by Chiefs coach Dave Rennie, who will move to Scotland after the next Super rugby season.

The moves leave Cotter out of job by the middle of next year, which is also when Brown will finish his contract with the Highlanders and that job will be open.

It may seem like a good fit and Cotter has plenty of coaching experience.

He was at the helm of Bay of Plenty and was then involved in the Crusaders set-up. He then had a long spell in France before moving to coach Scotland in the middle of 2014.

He has enjoyed mixed success with Scotland, getting the side through to the quarterfinals of last year's World Cup when it was unlucky to lose to Australia. However, the team finished last in the 2015 Six Nations and then moved up to fourth in 2016, beating France in one of its two victories.

Cotter (54) has made noises about making the move back to New Zealand and it would seem logical he would want to come back to a job at Super rugby level.

But plenty of water will have to pass under the bridge before the Highlanders confirm anything, even if Cotter is available.

Highlanders chief executive Roger Clark has denied any comment on the coaching appointment but did state the franchise was conducting a worldwide search for a high-calibre coach for the franchise.

Also floating in the background is Ireland coach Joe Schmidt.

Schmidt is yet to decide on his next move concerning his deal with Ireland coming to a close at the middle of next year.

Coaches will want to be in the right place at the right time when the All Black coaching job possibly becomes available after the World Cup in 2019, and be back in New Zealand to be a prime candidate.

Add a Comment