Vern Cotter defends timing of Scotland exit

Vern Cotter believes the timing of his decision to step down from the coaching role of Scotland came at the right time.

Cotter joined Scotland from Clermont in May 2014 and had a success percentage of 53, winning 19 out of 36 games to become the most successful professional coach since Ian McGeechan.

Cotter's tenure with the Dark Blues came to an end with the Six Nations 2017 tournament and the 55-year-old believes he had built the right squad for his successor Gregor Townsend to develop with.

“I had a contract for two years, up to the World Cup, and they extended it by a season," said Cotter.

"The job I was given was to build a team and return Scotland to a good level that would allow Gregor Townsend to take over in a good state.

"Two years out from the World Cup it was time for Gregor to be appointed in order to get things started."

Revealing his primary role was to build confidence among the squad that was inexperienced and had not tasted much success, Cotter admitted that he enjoyed working with the likes of Greig LaidLaw, Stuart Hogg and rest.

"I was lucky to be in charge of a group of good guys who were hard-working and imbued with a strong Scottish identity. I liked being alongside guys like Greig Laidlaw, Finn Russell, Stuart Hogg, Johnny Gray and many others.

"Through contact with such people you get better,” he added during an interview with the French rugby publication Midi Olympique.

“It was a tough building job to start with but an exciting challenge. I took over a group that was above all used to playing in order to avoid losing and which often did lose despite that.

"We had to build a depth of game but more importantly a culture which created an ambitious team that aspired to win. We worked a lot on this last point – it was about confidence.

"The team had to believe in itself and its capacity to play to win. That was the common goal we all tried to attain."

Cotter will now replace Jake White as the head coach of Top 14 club Montpellier.