The Blue Bulls have confirmed that John Mitchell has left the union to become England’s defence coach.

This follows months of negotiations between the Bulls and the English RFU regarding compensation for Mitchell, whose Bulls contract was supposed to run until October 2019.

The RFU has reportedly agreed to pay the Bulls an amount of between £150,000 (R2.9-million) and £225,000 (R4.4-million).

Mitchell joined the Bulls at the tail-end of last year’s Super Rugby tournament as their executive of rugby.

After Nollis Marais vacated his post as head coach, Mitchell coached the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup. They finished fourth on the log and lost to the Sharks in the semi-finals.

Mitchell was effectively head coach of the Bulls in Super Rugby this year. They finished 12th on the overall log after winning just six of their 16 matches.

Pote Human is coaching the Blue Bulls in the current Currie Cup campaign.

Barend van Graan, Blue Bulls Company CEO, thanked Mitchell for his services: ‘We would like to humbly thank Mitch for his efforts over the last year. There is no doubt that he has made an impact on our brand, and we would like to wish him all of the best with his future endeavors.’

Photo: Lee Warren/Gallo Images