Vern Cotter with two of his children. He plans to return home, but not yet. Photo / APN
Vern Cotter has set himself one last, task before he quits French rugby and returns to New Zealand: build another team at ASM Clermont Auvergne and get the club back to the summit of French rugby.
Cotter saw his tired, injury-weakened Clermont side finally lose their French Championship crown, going
down to Stade Toulouse in the semifinal. He admitted it was the end of an era for the 2010 champions yet he immediately set himself one final goal before returning home.
"We will go home one day but I am not sure when," said the man with one final year left on his contract. Should he decide to head back in 12 months, there could be serious interest from some New Zealand Super 15 franchises.
But Cotter won't quit before his last great task is completed at the club in central France. The man who is revered by Clermont people for bringing the famous French Championship trophy, the Bouclier de Brennus, to the Auvergne for the first time in the club's history says he is already starting the rebuilding job.
"It is a page that has been turned," he said of his club's defeat. "A lot of the older guys are leaving [the likes of South African Marius Joubert, Argentine veteran hooker Mario Ledesma and French lock Thibault Privat]. A lot of the guys came here to win the Bouclier, that was the dream and we did that. But now they have finished.
"The whole idea for me now is to build another team next year. We have a lot of new guys coming [such as All Black wing Sitiveni Sivivatu after the World Cup and ex-French five-eighths David Skrela]."
And the new guys will find a coach bursting with renewed determination. Like a determined fly climbing up a glass window, Cotter will keep trying.
But why does Cotter keep pushing himself? What more does he have to prove in France? He is already a legend at Clermont and always will be. He is also highly respected throughout France.
"I have a year's contract to finish," he said. "I just like winning, I am driven, driven to win and succeed."
Not bad qualities for a coach. Cotter's enthusiasm for the task at hand, no matter what he has already achieved, is remarkable.
"Now, I am looking forward to getting started next year, getting a bit of freshness back into the team. It's all about building and trying to get better and improve."
As coach of Top 14 side Clermont, Cotter is in a unique position to gauge the likely strength of France at the World Cup. A man of precise words who cuts to the point, Cotter says simply, "They are always dangerous.
"This time, they will have two months together to prepare for the tournament and that is something they have never had after a domestic season. So yes, I think they will be dangerous. I certainly wouldn't write them off. They will be there somewhere. It just depends on when you play them and what conditions you play them under. But they are a team that can jump back and bite anybody.
"And they have always done that against the All Blacks. The All Blacks have never really had a good time against them. They like the underdog situation and they're always capable of beating anyone on a certain day."
But forget any idea of split loyalties. Vern Cotter leaves no doubt where his heart lies. "I hope we can do it this time," he says.
* Peter Bills is a rugby writer for Independent News & Media in London.
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