Brumbies scrum coach Dan Palmer set to join Dan McKellar at Leicester

Current ACT assistant Dan Palmer is set to join his former mentor in England. It's understood the Brumbies are preparing to confirm Palmer's exit in the coming days.

McKellar joined the Irish club earlier this year after Eddie Jones was installed as Wallabies coach for the next five years.

The 46-year-old had previously joined the national set up as an assistant to Dave Rennie in what was seen as a succession plan. That all changed when Rennie was sacked and Jones returned home.

Rather than remaining in Australia to work under Jones, McKellar took up an opportunity to take charge of a program of his own in Leicester.

The move was seen as a major blow to Australian rugby and the coach is set to land another blow in the form of Brumbies and Wallabies assistant Palmer.

The former prop has been seen as one of the country's most promising coaches, with players and staff talking highly of the program he has built in Canberra.

The move comes just a few weeks after Palmer was added to Jones' team for this year's World Cup as lineout coach.

The departure comes amid a wider shakeup to the team's coaching staff for next year's Super Rugby season.

MORE CANBERRA SPORT:

Club legend Laurie Fisher is in his final weeks as a full-time assistant coach and is set to be replaced by former ACT and Australian captain Ben Mowen.

Palmer's area of expertise is set to mould perfectly in European rugby, where a premium is placed on dominance at the set-piece and in tight.

While it remains a short-term blow for Australian rugby, there are hopes he could eventually return home a better coach.

Palmer's looming exit comes as the Brumbies prepare to farewell Nic White and Pete Samu at Friday night's final regular season home game against the Melbourne Rebels.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.