Vern Cotter, the King of Clermont, aims to reign in Scotland when he takes ...

And yet, as lofty as his achievements at Clermont have been, Cotter is a

remarkably grounded individual. “I’m just a Kiwi farmer,” he says, a claim

given substance by the fact he recently purchased some land next to the

North Island farm on which he grew up.

“It’s something I wanted to do since I was a kid,” he says with a smile. “When

I’m finished I’ll probably go back there, put my rocking chair on the deck

and watch my cows get fat.”

Just how soon that might be will probably depend on what Cotter can do with Scotland

over the next couple of years. His appointment to the job of Scotland head

coach was confirmed last May, but the process descended into farce when it

became clear that Clermont were not prepared to give him early release from

his contract and the Scottish Rugby Union had no intention of buying it out

either.

As a result, Scott Johnson carried on as interim head coach. It would be

pushing it to say that Scotland have established themselves as a global

force in the meantime.

If Cotter has harboured doubts during a period in which the Scots have won

three of the 11 games they have played – two victories over Italy and one

against Japan – he has kept them well hidden.

Most French commentators believe that he is simply using Scotland as a means

of breaking into the Test arena on his way to fulfilling his real ambition

of coaching the All Blacks. Yet all the recent evidence suggests the

Scotland job has been more of a sinkhole than a springboard for coaches.

However, as Cotter points out, eight years is a long shift at any club. At

Clermont, where turmoil, infighting and underachievement were the norm

before his arrival, it is about seven years more than many of his

predecessors ever managed.

Cotter steadied that ship, reduced the influence of their Michelin backers and

led the side to a first French championship title – they had lost 10 finals

previously – in 2010. And now it is time to take the helm elsewhere.

“It’s tough to leave,” Cotter confesses. “But nothing’s forever. I think I

always challenge myself to come up with something new and develop things. I

just think it is a time to move, to move on.

“I don’t know if it’s a feeling or an instinctive thing, but the choice was

made to go to Scotland. That was something we wanted to do. It was perhaps

something we didn’t need to do, but we wanted to do. Test rugby has always

been something I’ve wanted to experience. A World Cup as well. These are

things that might be once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

“This opportunity presented itself and I’m really looking forward to

experiencing rugby at its highest level against the best teams in the world.

I’m sure it will be a learning curve, but I’ll trust my ability to adapt and

challenge myself and challenge the people around me.”

That could spell an uncomfortable few weeks for some Scotland players when

Cotter launches himself into his new job by leading their summer tour to the

United States, Canada, Argentina and South Africa. Cotter admits that his

reputation as a hard taskmaster is probably justified, but adds that he is

more than just a drill sergeant.

“I don’t like cutting corners,” he says. “I like to see the whole job get

done. It doesn’t mean I don’t have an open view, because I have a very open

view of things, but there are negotiables and non-negotiables when I’m

coaching. We’ll draw the line in the sand quite quickly and we’ll work from

there.”

Seasoned observers of the Scottish scene will inevitably see something of Jim

Telfer – another son of the soil – in Cotter. He would rather say nothing

than dish up a stream of management mumbo-jumbo and coaching pseudo-science.

When he talks of his fondness for Clermont, the club and the city, it is the

down-to-earth culture he most admires.

As his departure looms, sentiment will not get in the way of his determination

to secure the French and European titles that just eluded Clermont last

season.

“At the last home game there is a tradition that all the players and people

who are leaving the club stand up in the middle of the paddock and say their

goodbyes. But I don’t want that to dominate the next few weeks. I want us to

go as far as we can this season.

“I’m not going to let those kinds of things steer us away from the

objective, which is to go as far as we can and try to win something.”

Factfile

Born Jan 27, 1962

Playing career

1980-1990 Played No 8 – for Counties Manukau in the New Zealand

Provincial Championship.

1990-1999 Spent one season playing in Italy and then played for a

number of second-tier clubs in France, the most prominent being Lourdes.

Coaching career

1999-2004 Head coach of Bay of Plenty. Won the NPC second division

title in his first year.

2004-2006 Forwards coach for the Crusaders, his players included Richie

McCaw and Chris Jack. Helped the side to two Super Rugby titles.

2006-present Head coach at Clermont Auvergne. Under him, Clermont won

the French championship for the first time in 2010, were Heineken Cup

runners-up in 2013 and are in the middle of a 74-game unbeaten at home.

2013 Appointed head coach of Scotland, but arrival delayed while he saw

out his contract in France.

Vern Cotter, the King of Clermont, aims to reign in Scotland when he takes ...