Blues coach Pat Lam will see out his three-year contract with the Auckland franchise but his assistant Shane Howarth was not so lucky following their semifinal loss to the Reds in Brisbane.
The New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) and Blues said that the Blues' assistant coach role will be advertised following the recommendation of the coaching review panel which had looked at the performance of Lam and Howarth in this year's Super Rugby competition.
The review panel consisted of NZRU board member Graham Mourie, NZRU high performance coach development manager Mike Chu, Blues chairman Greg Muir, Blues chief executive Andy Dalton, and Blues directors Grant Fox and Gary Whetton.
The Blues' bid to win a fourth Super Rugby title was halted by a rampant Reds team that was lead by their brilliant halfback pairing of Will Genia and Quade Cooper.
Lam said that his side had made too many basic errors which were severely punished by the Reds who seized the momentum and controlled the game.
He commented: "We played a lot of rugby, but we made mistakes at crucial times and the Reds pounced on those. They kick it long, a bit of Quade Cooper magic and they're under the sticks at 20-10. Then we were pretty much chasing the game, and their defence and energy levels made it difficult for us."
The Blues coach lamented the amount of turnovers conceded by his charges, which he believes was the decisive factor.
"Where they [the Reds] are most dangerous is off your turnovers at breakdown. We got stung in the penalty count and at the breakdown and they fed off that. Players make errors and we made too many on a big night," he said.
Lam believes that the Reds will be hard to stop at home and is tipping them to beat the Crusaders for the second time this season and claim the title next week.
He said: "The Crusaders have been superb all year on the travel, but it is a challenge to come all the way back here now. The Reds have confidence, they're home, it is a fortress here [at Suncorp]. They have a lot of workers in their pack and [Will] Genia and Cooper are special players.
"It should be a good final, but just through sheer home advantage and no travel the Reds will be up there in front," he added.
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