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Dan Palmer – the Brumbies forwards coach and one of Eddie Jones’ World Cup assistants – will leave Australian rugby at year’s end.
The Roar understands the former Wallabies prop will join his old boss, Dan McKellar, at Leicester Tigers.
While Palmer’s role expanded this year from the Brumbies’ scrum guru to forwards coach, his departure is a massive blow for Stephen Larkham’s side. It comes off the back of the news veteran coach ‘Lord’ Laurie Fisher will step down at year’s end from full-time coaching.
It means Larkham, who is set to bring on Ben Mowen, will need to find another assistant coach to join his team.
Former Wallabies prop Dan Palmer is the Brumbies’ scrum coach. Picture: Lachlan Lawson/Brumbies Media
The 34-year-old is considered one of the best scrum coaches not only in Australia but the world.
“He’s awesome, and probably that I’ve had,” Brumbies captain Allan Alaalatoa said of Palmer ahead of the season.
“I think mainly because he’s been in the position before, and he transitioned straight into scrum coach in 2014. So, when I first came, and I’m pretty sure from (talking to) Scotty (Sio) and Lord (veteran coach Laurie Fisher) that he was coaching scrums while he was playing as well.
“In terms of going against pressure, asking what you want from the second-rows and the back five, but being technically excellent around their role as well, that’s what he brings. He understands the importance of one to eight instead of just the front-row. He understands the importance of the No.8’s role and the back-rowers as well. I think that’s his point of difference as a scrum coach, and he’s got a plan for every team that we come up against.”
Allan Alaalatoa says Dan Palmer is the best scrum coach he has worked under. (Photo: Getty Images)
Palmer was brought in by the Wallabies during last year’s Rugby Championship to oversee the scrum despite having Petrus du Plessis on their books. It wasn’t the first time the Wallabies had asked Palmer to join the national team, with the scrum doctor joining Michael Cheika’s coaching team in late 2017 as Mario Ledesma’s replacement.
After a stint on Australia A’s tour of Japan last year, Palmer also spent time with Eddie Jones’ Suntory in December.
It came as no surprise, therefore, that Jones included the one-Test Wallaby as part of his coaching structure for this year’s World Cup “smash and grab” campaign.
Interestingly, Jones included Palmer as the Wallabies’ lineout coach, with Neal Hatley, who was the England scrum coach at the 2019 World Cup, brought in as the forwards coordinator.
It says plenty of Palmer’s pedigree that Jones believes the rising coach is good enough to oversee such a specialised area despite his portfolio only recently expanding to include the lineout.
McKellar, who stood down as Wallabies forwards coach in the weeks after Jones’ appointment after being offered the Leicester job, has had to assemble an entirely new coaching team after recently appointed England coach Steve Borthwick brought in all of his assistants from the Tigers.
Former Brumbies coach and Wallabies assistant Dan McKellar has added Dan Palmer to his coaching team at Leicester. (Photo by Kerry Marshall/Getty Images)
One source said Palmer’s departure was “a blow to the Brumbies” but “could prove to be the making of him”.
Palmer, who is nearing the end of his PhD, will now get the chance to immerse himself in the set-piece, which is the bedrock of English rugby, by joining McKellar at Leicester.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.