Leicester Tigers confirmed today tear the club has accepted the resignation of Dan Palmer from his role as Scrum Coach.
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He joined Tigers in late October of last year, following his commitments with Australia at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
In a statement they said: “Palmer submitted his resignation after confirmation of the mutual agreement with Dan McKellar to end his tenure as Head Coach at the club, citing that he was unable to commit to the role fully moving forward into the new season.
“In the interim, with the pre-season programme commencing on Monday (July 1), Neil Fowkes – the club’s Senior Academy Forwards Coach – will take on the responsibilities of Scrum Coach for the senior men’s squad.
“Fowkes joined Tigers ahead of last season after stints with Championship clubs Ealing Trailfinders (Forwards Coach) and Nottingham Rugby (Head Coach and Forwards Coach), as well as two years as Scrum Coach with former Gallagher Premiership club Wasps from 2020-22.
“All other assistant coaches and performance staff, as announced earlier this month, have commenced work on the 24/25 season.”
“The process for appointing a new Head Coach is ongoing, with an announcement to be made ahead of the playing group’s return on July 1.”
Kevin Sinfield among the favourites to be the next Leicester Tigers boss
We review the leading candidates to succeed Dan McKellar, who departed Leicester Tigers by mutual agreement after a single season at the helm of the Premiership club.
The 47-year-old former ACT Brumbies head coach resigned as Australia’s forwards coach to assume the position on a “long-term contract,” becoming the permanent replacement for Steve Borthwick, who departed to coach England.
However, Leicester Tigers had a disappointing season, finishing eighth in the Premiership, 11 points shy of a playoff berth. Additionally, they were eliminated by Leinster in the Investec Champions Cup round of 16 and lost to Gloucester in the Premiership Cup final.
In a statement,l Leicester said McKellar’s departure had been agreed “following extensive discussions regarding the club’s future direction”.
Favourites to replace him
#5. Martin Johnson – 40/1
The idea of the former Lions captain returning to Welford Road as a director of rugby to turn things around was a popular rumor.
However, RUCK reports that this scenario is unlikely. Johnson appears uninterested in ending his self-imposed hiatus.
After being dismissed as England manager following the disappointing 2011 World Cup campaign, which saw England eliminated by France in the quarter-finals, Johnson has remained out of the spotlight.
He has been focusing on commercial work and family time, showing no interest in re-entering the high-pressure world of domestic rugby.