Danny Lee (rugby union)

Daniel David Lee (born 1 March 1976) is a New Zealand former professional rugby union player who is the head coach of the NOLA Gold of Major League Rugby (MLR).

Danny Lee

Birth name	Daniel David Lee
Date of birth	(1976-03-01) 1 March 1976 (age 49)
Place of birth	Hastings, New Zealand
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	80 kg (180 lb)
School	Hastings Boys' High School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Halfback Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2009–2011 Newport GD 12 (5) Provincial / State sides Years Team Apps (Points) 1994–1996 Hawke's Bay () 1997–1998 Central Vikings () 1999–2001 Counties Manukau () 2002–2005 Otago () 2006–2008 Hawke's Bay () Super Rugby Years Team Apps (Points) 1997 Hurricanes 1 (0) 1999–2002 Chiefs 31 (30) 2003–2005 Highlanders 17 (10) 2008 Blues 12 (10) International career Years Team Apps (Points) 2002 New Zealand 2 (5)

Lee played for the Hurricanes, Chiefs, the Highlanders Super 14 and Hawke's Bay in the Air New Zealand Cup. In 2007 he joined the Blues in New Zealand. In June 2009, Lee joined the Newport Gwent Dragons in Wales on a two-year contract. In November 2010, after a series of injuries, Lee announced his retirement from rugby having made just 12 appearances for Newport Gwent Dragons.^[1]

Lee played two test matches for the All Blacks in 2002:

• the 28-31 loss to England at Twickenham Stadium. He was an injury replacement for Steve Devine after 24 minutes and scored a try.
• the 20-20 draw with France at Paris, in which he started.

His international career was limited due to the presence of Justin Marshall, Byron Kelleher, Devine, Piri Weepu and Jimmy Cowan.

Coaching career

After retiring from professional rugby, Lee became a rugby coach. He coached Hawke's Bay from 2011 to 2017, and then Mie Honda Heat until 2021.^[2][3] As of 2025, Lee coaches the NOLA Gold rugby team of Major League Rugby (MLR).^[4]