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Todd Blackadder will step aside as Crusaders coach after the 2016 Super Rugby season, saying eight years in charge is long enough.

Blackadder says it is time for somebody else to lead the most successful team in the competition's history.

The former All Blacks captain has been unable to add to the Crusaders' seven titles since succeeding Robbie Deans in 2008.

In those seven seasons the All Blacks-laden team have been beaten finalists twice and been eliminated in the play-off stage on four occasions.

This year they were seventh - the first time they had failed to reach the knockout phase since 2001.

"Every minute in the role has been a privilege but moving on at the end of the 2016 season is the right thing for me and the right thing for the team," Blackadder said in a statement.

"Eight years is a relatively long time in coaching and I feel that the time is right for someone else to take the reins and lead the team in their own direction in the future."

Blackadder says a review of the 2015 season identified that off-field distractions and uncertainty were a problem for the players.

He therefore wanted to make his intentions clear early on.

Crusaders chief executive Hamish Riach says a process to find a replacement will begin when the season ends.

He says Blackadder has been a "cult hero" at the Crusaders, both as a player and a coach.

"That's because of the incredible passion and loyalty that he has always displayed for this team.

"He has given everything to the Crusaders and we have been incredibly lucky to have him." Blackadder says he has no plans beyond next year and hopes to go out on a high, even without the likes of departing greats Richie McCaw and Dan Carter on his books.

"I am incredibly excited about the 2016 season and what happens beyond that is immaterial right now," he said.

"There have been some big changes in the Crusaders with some significant players moving on and a number of new, younger players coming into the mix, and I think that signals some really exciting times ahead."