# Dan Palmer

Dan Palmer (born 13 September 1988) is an Australian rugby union coach and retired professional player. He was the lineout coach for the Australia national team at the 2023 Rugby World Cup and most recently was the Leicester Tigers scrum coach. He played for the New South Wales Waratahs and ACT Brumbies in Super Rugby, before a short stint with French club Grenoble. He also earned one cap for Australia in 2012. His usual position was tighthead prop.

## Early life

Palmer was born in Shellharbour, New South Wales. He played junior rugby with Kiama and attended Warilla High School. He represented Australia at Schoolboy, Under-19 and Under-20 levels. He played his senior club rugby in Sydney for Southern Districts in the Shute Shield.

## Rugby career

In 2007, Palmer played for the Melbourne Rebels in the Australian Rugby Championship. He joined the New South Wales Waratahs squad in 2008 and was signed to a three-year deal after making his debut against the Highlanders in round three of the Super 14 competition. In 2011 he was looking for more playing time and moved to ACT to play for the Brumbies, where he became their starting tighthead prop.
Palmer was capped as the starting tighthead prop for Australia against Scotland in Newcastle on 5 June 2012. In January 2013, Palmer signed to play for FC Grenoble from the 2013–14 season.
However, he never played a match for Grenoble due to a persistent foot injury and subsequently announced his retirement from rugby union at the end of 2014. He returned to Australia to combine university studies with a scrum coaching role at the ACT Brumbies. Despite a drop in weight to below 16 stone, Palmer returned to the playing roster at the Brumbies as a short-term appointment at prop for team's tour to South Africa during the 2015 Super Rugby season.

## Coaching

Palmer became involved with coaching the Brumbies upon his retirement, he has also coached Australia 'A' and Suntory Sungoliath. He will coach Australia's lineout at the 2023 Rugby World Cup then take up a position as Leicester Tigers scrum coach. In June 2024 Palmer resigned his position at Leicester following Dan McKellar who left earlier in the week.

## Other

After rugby, Palmer returned to study and completed a double degree in science and psychology at the Australian National University. As of 2021, Palmer is completing a PhD in the cellular mechanisms of brain function.
He is the first openly gay Wallabies player.

## Reference list

* 1 2 "Waratahs profile". nswrugby.com.au. Archived from the original on 14 October 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
* ↑ "Australia U-20 profile". www.rugby.com.au. Archived from the original on 8 January 2009.
* ↑ "Dan Palmer commits to Waratahs". rugbyweek.com. 6 June 2008. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
* 1 2 Dutton, Chris (27 January 2013). "Palmer to bid adieu to Brumbies". The Canberra Times. Rugby Heaven. Archived from the original on 3 April 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
* ↑ "Dan Palmer". espnscrum.com.
* ↑ "Former Wallaby Dan Palmer lost passion for rugby, then weight". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax. 25 October 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
* 1 2 Dutton, Chris (3 May 2015). "Lighter prop Dan Palmer set for shock Brumbies comeback a year after retiring". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax. Archived from the original on 3 May 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
* ↑ "Scrum Coach: Dan Palmer". Leicester Tigers. 29 May 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
* ↑ "Palmer resigns as Leicester scrum coach". BBC Sport. 26 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
* ↑ Palmer, Dan (30 October 2020). "My own death felt preferable to anyone discovering I was gay". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 October 2020.