Dalton Papali’i: Blues coach Vern Cotter laments skipper’s exit – ‘He could have been an All Blacks captain’

Regret and frustration are evident from the Blues as another All Black is snaffled by a wealthy offshore suitor.

Blues coach Vern Cotter believes Dalton Papali’i could have been a future All Blacks captain and says more must be done to retain test prospects such as the departing loosie.

Papali’i will join French Top 14 side Castres Olympique on a lucrative three-year deal after his ninth and final season with the Blues.

A relationship breakdown with former All Blacks coach Scott Robertson pushed Papali’i out of the national squad in the past two years which, alongside welcoming his first child, forced the openside to rethink his future.

After debuting for the All Blacks as a young tyro under Sir Steve Hansen and steadily increasing in prominence, Papali’i rapidly fell out of favour under Robertson; he only played four times in 2024 and once off the bench last year.

While he was contracted through to the 2027 Rugby World Cup, Papali’i had a clause that allowed him to depart later this season after he was not selected in last year’s All Blacks end-of-year tour squad.

Cotter bemoaned another headline departure from the Blues that comes after Mark Tele’a and Harry Plummer’s exits last year and with talented midfielder A.J. Lam and No 8 Hoskins Sotutu in their final seasons too.

“He could have been an All Blacks captain,” Cotter said. “There’s midweek games and all sorts of things happening later this year. That was discussed with him, and he’d made his mind up. He’s got family to consider so you’ve got to understand and respect his decision.

“We need to have better alignment and earlier conversations with players such as Dalton. He felt he had more to contribute [to the All Blacks] but he wasn’t invited so he made a decision to move.

“We need to be more open around our conversations with NZR [New Zealand Rugby], talent ID and retention. We can all be implicated to stop them leaving. A.J. Lam is going to hurt as well. There’s a number of players.”

Chiefs fullback Shaun Stevenson and Hurricanes wing Fehi Fineanganofo, who will depart after this Super season, are others NZR could not retain.

“We need these players in New Zealand,” Cotter said. “They develop intellectual property and they pass it on to younger players.”

Papali’i turns 29 in October and will join the Blues centurion club in their round-three match against the Brumbies.

A national coaching change, with Dave Rennie or Jamie Joseph set to assume charge, could have altered his All Blacks’ fortunes, but it seems Papali’i had committed his future to France by that point.

From an openside perspective, the All Blacks can call on Peter Lakai, Du’Plessis Kirifi, Ardie Savea, Ethan Blackadder, Sean Withy and Luke Jacobson.

Papali’i, though, will be a significant loss particularly for the Blues where he starts this season as captain in Patrick Tuipulotu’s injury absence.

“It was a tough decision, probably one of the hardest of my life,” Papali’i said. “My blood is blue, it runs deep here. I’ve had nine, 10 years here and some of the best memories of my life. This team has shaped me into the man I am.”

Walking away from pursuing the black jersey took time to grasp, but Papali’i has other priorities to consider.

“That added to the weight of the decision. I love the All Blacks. Making the decision to not be available was very tough. Closing a chapter on that book was hard to come to but I’ve got really important things in my life. I want to support my family and have new goals I can chase.

“Footy is a tough competition, especially in New Zealand where everyone wants to be in the All Blacks. Stepping back to the NPC with Counties last year I fell in love with the game again.

“I found myself, my flow and then the opportunity to captain the All Blacks XV under Jamie Jo, those coaches and players, that was one of the best tours I’ve been on because of the hunger from those young players.

“It was a breath of fresh air. Yeah, it was a bummer missing out on the All Blacks but you’ve got to accept it and move on.

“There were a lot of hours, sitting down with my partner talking through the options, whether to stay or go. At the end of the day it came down to one thing, having a daughter has changed my life.

“Having a family now puts everything into perspective. Rugby is not a long career. I wanted to financially set my family up but also have some new goals and some life experiences because rugby can take you around the world.

“Now I’ve put pen to paper I can put it behind me and look forward to this journey. In saying that I’ve got a job to do here. I want to leave this jersey in a better place so I’ll be putting everything out there.”

Papali’i will follow former All Blacks Gary Whetton and Chris Masoe to join Castres, the latter playing 108 games for the club to gain widespread respect.

Cotter, having coached extensively in France, has no doubt Papali’i will evoke a similar following.

“They’ll be hoping for the same thing when Chris was over there – a bit of character, heat on the ball and a few carries. It’s a rugby town. They’ll love him there.”

Just as they do at the Blues.

Liam Napier is a Senior Sports Journalist and Rugby Correspondent for the New Zealand Herald. He is a co-host of the Rugby Direct podcast.