Jeff Probyn

This is where you will find all of The Rugby Paper’s Jeff Probyn news, views, opinion and other content.

Jeff Probyn column: Modern pros would do well to remember the old days

20 May 2016 0 comments

With the season over for all but the chosen few in the Premiership playoffs or the various tours in the next couple of months, it […]

Jeff Probyn column: Play-offs should be used to assess tier two quality

13 May 2016 0 comments

The end of the season always spells triumph or disaster for one club or another and this year is no exception. As we close in […]

Jeff Probyn column: Quotas undermine teams rather than build them

5 May 2016 0 comments

Oil and water, vinegar and milk…there are certain things that just don’t mix and should always be kept separate. Another is politics and sport, the […]

Jeff Probyn column: Sorry Jerry Guscott, but I disagree with your Pro12 prognosis

28 April 2016 0 comments

I read with interest last week’s article by Jerry Guscott and his thoughts on why he thinks the Pro12 has failed to register any teams […]

Jeff Probyn column: Ignore the balance sheet, our grassroots game is in crisis

22 April 2016 0 comments

And so it begins. Australian rugby‘s announcement of a A$9.8 million (£5.3m) loss for the 2015 season, up from A$6.3 million (£3.4m) the previous year, […]

Jeff Probyn column: If you want to hear a racist rant listen to Phil Bennett

13 April 2016 0 comments

What a surprise! World rugby‘s discipline hearing against Joe Marler saw him plead guilty, was given a ban and a fine and everybody is happy. […]

Jeff Probyn column: I see Italy becoming a real powerhouse of the North

8 April 2016 0 comments

Brendan Gallagher‘s feature on the future of Italian rugby last week got me thinking – and not just about the Azzurri and their future but […]

Jeff Probyn column: Treating players like men helped win Grand Slam

30 March 2016 0 comments

Reflecting on last week’s Grand Slam I can’t help thinking how much the team has changed from the latter days of the Lancaster reign despite […]

Jeff Probyn column: Onfield revival is just one of many battles facing England

25 March 2016 0 comments

What a week for English rugby! Congratulations to Eddie Jones and his coaching team for completing England‘s first Six Nations title since 2011 and first […]

Jeff Probyn column: Sorry, Serge but you were a bit-part player in that try

18 March 2016 0 comments

Browsing through a bookshop the other day, I picked up a copy of The Sunday Times Great Sporting Moments of the Twentieth Century. Flicking through the […]

Jeff Probyn column: Lineout is looking strong again under George Kruis control

11 March 2016 0 comments

With the wheels now firmly back on the chariot, the dream of Grand Slam glory can at last be whispered. England‘s win over Ireland, although […]

Jeff Probyn column: Revert to 15-man game to reduce walking wounded

4 March 2016 0 comments

Injuries, injuries and more injuries. What is it about today’s game that is causing more and more players to miss game time? As amateurs, we […]

Jeff Probyn: Let’s hope the rugby gets better as Six Nations goes on

25 February 2016 0 comments

As we take a break in the Six Nations, it gives us all a chance to evaluate how everybody is doing. First are the teams […]

Jeff Probyn column: Sorry Eddie Jones, but just how honest a player is Dylan Hartley?

3 February 2016 0 comments

I suppose it was always on the cards and, the more people objected, the more likely it became: England‘s first foreign coach has just appointed […]

Jeff Probyn: London Scottish link with Scotland raises plenty of problems

21 January 2016 0 comments

What a week we’ve had. First an announcement that could create some interesting changes for the outcome of the Six Nations over the next few […]

Jeff Probyn column: Lack of quality tightheads is major concern for Eddie Jones

14 January 2016 0 comments

Last Sunday I was the guest on Talksport’s Full Contact show with Brian Moore where we discussed the latest round of matches from the Premiership […]

Jeff Probyn column: Silence is not golden when it involves a PRL cover-up

8 January 2016 0 comments

Starting a New Year always brings a sense of hope and anticipation for sports fans as we put the failures of the past year to […]

Jeff Probyn column: Dylan Hartley’s no Johnno and, for me, he’s no captain

30 December 2015 0 comments

As we sit back trying to digest our Christmas excesses while also enjoying the success of the England clubs in the Champions Cup, anticipating Eddie […]

Jeff Probyn column: We must offer women players more protection

18 December 2015 0 comments

Some time ago I got into a bit of trouble over something that was said on the old Rugby Special programme. The show was hosted […]

Jeff Probyn column: Matt Symons’ pilgrimage has been an indictment of our system

11 December 2015 0 comments

I had an interesting letter this week from Jeff Gage who often corresponds with The Rugby Paper. In his letter, he agreed with a number […]

Jeff Probyn column: Our home grow talent is blocked by foreign imports

4 December 2015 0 comments

After a brilliant display by all the Premiership teams in Europe last week, it would seem that there’s definitely not a World Cup ‘hangover’ as […]

Jeff Probyn column: Clubs flex muscles over European postponements

27 November 2015 0 comments

The disruption of the European Champions Cup first round caused by the Paris atrocities last week has inadvertently shown what appears to be the ambitions […]

Jeff Probyn: Dean Richards is the man for me to revive England fortunes

20 November 2015 0 comments

Well, I suppose it was inevitable, especially after the expected back-stabbing from within his squad, Stuart Lancaster has chosen to fall on his sword before […]

Jeff Probyn column: Why these jibes at England review panel are laughable

6 November 2015 0 comments

Am I the only England fan to be sick and tired of the continual criticism of everything the team or the RFU do when the […]

Jeff Probyn column: Crucial to reintroduce level between club and country

29 October 2015 0 comments

For the first time since its 1987 inception, the Rugby World Cup does not have Northern Hemisphere side in the semi-finals after France, Wales, Ireland […]

Jeff Probyn: column: If selection was unanimous coaches should take blame

15 October 2015 0 comments

Well that’s that, time to get out the knives and let the carnage begin, as everybody with an axe to grind bays for the blood […]

Jeff Probyn column: Hype surrounding Sam Burgess is biggest issue for England

8 October 2015 0 comments

Decisions, decisions, when are they right and when are they wrong? That is a question that all of England has been asking this week and […]

Jeff Probyn column: Scrum’s the winner in first week of the World Cup

1 October 2015 0 comments

The first week of the World Cup brought a big shock. No, not Japan beating South Africa (although that was pretty big), but the rebirth […]

Jeff Probyn’s column: Stuart Lancaster must try to keep his own emotions in check

25 September 2015 0 comments

What was Stuart Lancaster thinking of when he thought it would be necessary to address the players and explain to them just how important it […]

Jeff Probyn: Dan Cole Can help get nudge on up front

18 September 2015 0 comments

As preparation for a World Cup begins, every coach will be ascertaining they have the basic fundamentals of the game correct and the most fundamental […]

Jeff Probyn’s column: Hopefully England will go one better than us in ‘91 and win it

12 September 2015 0 comments

With the phoney war over, now is the time for the squad to focus on the challenges that lie ahead. The results over the past […]

Jeff Probyn’s column: We’re running out of time to get the scrum working

2 September 2015 0 comments

As Stuart Lancaster tears up the selectors’ hand book and does what was expected, the whole of England’s rugby community will be hoping he has […]

Jeff Probyn’s column: Two ‘big hits’ not enough to put Sam Burgess ahead of Henry Slade

26 August 2015 1 comment

Looking back at last week’s game and the England team’s performance against France at Twickenham, I have the feeling that I watched a different game […]

Jeff Probyn: How those cunning Aussies threw World Cup wide open

21 August 2015 1 comment

That’s it! All bets are off after last week’s results in the Rugby Championship as the favourites for both games failed to deliver the expected […]

Jeff Probyn’s column: Schools should link up with grassroots clubs for legacy

14 August 2015 0 comments

Last Wednesday I attended the first of what I would assume are many planned fund raisers for the hoped for legacy from the World Cup. […]

Jeff Probyn: Too much expectation riding on the shoulders of England

7 August 2015 0 comments

I’m sure you have all seen the TV adverts featuring the England players being carried on the shoulders of supporters as they head towards the […]

Jeff Probyn’s column: You’re right Steve, new maul is ‘bloody boring’

31 July 2015 0 comments

How unusual, a New Zealand coach bemoaning the opposition’s tactics despite winning the game. Steve Hansen’s complaint about the Argentinian driving maul that allowed their […]

Jeff Probyn’s column: Why do altitude training if it may hinder your speed?

17 July 2015 0 comments

As we approach the Rugby World Cup and hear more and more details of how the teams are preparing, I have to ask, is all […]

Jeff Probyn’s column: So, is the ‘Old Boys’ Club’ in control of rugby again?

10 July 2015 1 comment

Training camps, past managers views and the World Cup have taken the focus off the biggest decision the game faces in the very near future, […]

Jeff Probyn: Heading off to the hills on another mission from God

3 July 2015 2 comments

Training camps and altitude training in far-flung foreign fields do make you wonder what the game is coming to. As big as the World Cup […]

Jeff Probyn: Let’s hope Ian Ritchie’s warning does not stop team bonding

26 June 2015 1 comment

As England prepare to jet off to their Colorado training camp the words of RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie must be ringing in the ears […]

Jeff Probyn’s column: Union right to ride roughshod over Leicester Tigers’ American dream

19 June 2015 6 comments

The question of who is running rugby in America came under the spotlight this week as Leicester Tigers were forced to cancel a fixture in […]

Jeff Probyn’s column: Stuart Lancaster’s left with more questions than answers

11 June 2015 0 comments

Well, well at last the bridesmaids have become the brides as Saracens stormed to victory last weekend in the Premiership final but has it helped […]

Jeff Probyn: Sam Burgess is different, but does he have the time to deliver

29 May 2015 0 comments

How do you make 50 into one? That was the question most occupying the mind of Stuart Lancaster as he announced his World Cup training […]

Jeff Probyn’s column: World Cup wage cap would promote level playing field

22 May 2015 0 comments

With the domestic season more or less over and sights set firmly on the World Cup, we are once again forced to confront the realities […]

Jeff Probyn: What’s the money on Toulon making it four on the spin?

15 May 2015 0 comments

As the dust settles on the first ever Champions Cup and the remarkable but unsurprising success of Toulon in winning their third successive European crown, […]

Jeff Probyn: Sorry, but is all this legislation making the game any safer?

8 May 2015 2 comments

There are times when I worry for the future of our great sport with all the accusations and promises banded about like a political election […]

Jeff Probyn: Ring-fencing would damage potential World Cup legacy

1 May 2015 0 comments

The almost universal acceptance by the media that ring-fencing the Premiership will actually take place, even if it’s just for a short period, seems at […]

Jeff Probyn: How league rugby became a nightmare for some clubs

24 April 2015 1 comment

Sometimes I wonder at the naivety of some of our rugby journalists and their lack of understanding of the game at any level below the […]

Jeff Probyn: Salary cap is essential to keep our clubs solvent

17 April 2015 0 comments

Last week’s European results drew some interesting opinions from casting doubts on the French international side, to a call for another salary cap increase in […]

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