Jeff Probyn

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

RFU Council must make a stand for whole game

8 December 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME NOW the Autumn Nation Series is over – with all four games at the Twickenham Allianz […]

Borthwick needs to sort out defence

1 December 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Promising: It would be good for Asher Opoku-Fordjour to gain more experience before the next World […]

England can find a little bit of cheer

24 November 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME SO HERE we are on the final day of England’s autumn international series with all of […]

England still can’t hold it together

17 November 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Class act: Marcus Smith has brought a new dimension to England’s attack PICTURE: Getty Images SO […]

England need to be more consistent

10 November 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Man in the middle: Referee Angus Gardner seemed to be doing his best to ensure England […]

New England group will cause uncertainty

3 November 2024 0 comments

By Jeff Probyn – A front-row view of game So just when we thought that everything was getting sorted between the RFU, the clubs and […]

WR should fund free second opinion

27 October 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME IMUST admit to being a little surprised by last week’s paper where the articles by Nick […]

Don’t sub captain just after half-time

20 October 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME In charge: Jamie George in action for England PICTURE: Getty Images WE have only a few […]

Sorry to say, but it’s their own fault

13 October 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME THERE is something I always admired about the RFU, it has always attempted to be fair […]

Sorry, Geoff, but let’s not de-power scrums

6 October 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME EVERY week I can’t wait for Sunday to come around so that I can read The […]

It’ll be tough for Steve Diamond to get Newcastle Falcons up the table

29 September 2024 0 comments

By Jeff Probyn, A front row view of the game The start of the Premiership season last week threw up, as usual, very few surprises. […]

Jonny was great but Jason made the real difference

22 September 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME I MUST admit I get slightly irritated with seeing social media best players posts that seem […]

England Women heading in the wrong direction

15 September 2024 0 comments

By Jeff Probyn – A front row view of the game Watching last week’s game between England’s women and their French counterparts I couldn’t help […]

Hard to pin the blame on unions

8 September 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME AS IF things in the game aren’t bad enough, the BBC’s Rugby On Trial shown on […]

It looks good – for the Premiership

1 September 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME ROB Baxter thinks that the PGP deal is ‘looking good for all’ whereas really he is […]

Tainton is right to highlight problems

25 August 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME TOM Tainton, Bristol Bears’ chief operating officer, has said that the professional game is at a […]

I can’t remember a thing after I was kicked in head

18 August 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME AS WE all take a break for the summer and thoughts of rugby slowly fade into […]

Sponsorship deal will really help grassroots

11 August 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME THE news that the cabbage patch is to get a name change which will ensure increased […]

Good to see women winning more awards

4 August 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME IT WAS disappointing that Team GB women’s sevens side were unable to get any medals that […]

Reshuffle helping to bring on youth

28 July 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME NOW we are at the end of the season there is the chance to look back […]

It takes a long time to learn ‘the dark arts’

21 July 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME SO IT was a second defeat in New Zealand for an England team that promised so […]

Why is captain replaced so early?

14 July 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME So the All Blacks keep their home record of wins at Dunedin by just one point […]

Borthwick happy to go back for future

7 July 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME So it looks like Steve Borthwick has learned a lesson and decided what many thought was […]

England have enough to down the All Blacks

30 June 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Steve Borthwick’s England team have taken their first step of their summer tour and returned with […]

We’re all heading in different directions

23 June 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Sunday Mixed signals: The Championship is being seen as development tool – but not everything makes […]

Refs must regain authority on pitch

16 June 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Red card: Beno Obano is sent of by referee Christophe Ridley at Twickenham last weekend PICTURE: […]

Time for Borthwick to stamp his mark

9 June 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME It’s been well worth waiting until the end of the season to see some of the […]

Dowson’s right, let’s be more like French

2 June 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME In agreement: Mark McCall and, right, Phil Dowson PICTURES: Getty Images IT WAS interesting to hear […]

Resting players for big games isn’t on

26 May 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN – A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME It was just a couple of weeks ago that certain people were up in arms […]

New law changes will hurt the game

19 May 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN Am I the only one who thinks that something is wrong with ‘those in charge’ of our game as once again the laws […]

Don’t only blame RFU for lack of confidence

12 May 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME IT WAS interesting to read last week’s comments by Simon Halliday in The Rugby Paper and […]

The ringfence which is encouraging open play

5 May 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME THERE have been a few articles written about how the Premiership has started to play a […]

PGP deal is nothing but a waste of time

28 April 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME I can’t help thinking that the new Professional Game Partnership (PGP) is nothing but a waste […]

How Lomu changed the way we played

21 April 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME IT SEEMS the spectre of size has raised its head again with my old partner Brian […]

We need a fairer deal for all levels

14 April 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME I cannot believe that there is any way an agreement between the Championship, Premiership and the […]

Scrums can provide the best attacking platform

7 April 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Why the scrum is having to fight to stay a part of the game seems to […]

Tell players to stay focused – or face axe

7 April 2024 0 comments

There are some interesting excuses from coaches as to why there are such variations in results in the Premiership week by week. It would appear […]

With debts up to £300m, the game has lost its way

1 April 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME WITH the international window now over for the men’s game, the focus has returned to club […]

England were good, but a bit complacent

24 March 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME WATCHING the France versus England game last Saturday night, I couldn’t help but think that a […]

Now that’s what I call a performance, England

17 March 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME OKAY, I was wrong in my prediction a couple of weeks ago with Ireland failing to […]

At last! England find reason to be cheerful

10 March 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME We were waiting and hoping for a game that will define how far England have developed […]

Great start, England, but then it fell to pieces

3 March 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Triple top: Duhan van der Merwe beats Ben Earl to score his hat-trick try at Murrayfield […]

We need to progress, both on and off pitch

25 February 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME NOW the teams have had their week off hopefully they have had the chance to reassess […]

We need action, not words, England

18 February 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME WITH the second game and a second victory, it seems that all is well in the […]

Take away the contact and you don’t have a game left

11 February 2024 0 comments

With the Six Nations now in full swing the last thing the game needs is further condemnation about how it’s played but last week the […]

Ireland look like the team to beat

11 February 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Heading into week two of the Six Nations we were all wondering who will have made […]

Why Six Nations is pinnacle of game

4 February 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME HERE we are at the start of another Six Nations with everything to play for as […]

England will take time to develop

28 January 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN – A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME At last we have confirmation so no wondering what the England team’s future holds. With […]

All clubs must be able to reach top

21 January 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN SO it’s back to the future with the RFU CEO Bill Sweeney telling the Championship that they either don’t understand or have been […]

Farrell’s choice: Stay and hope, or cash in

14 January 2024 0 comments

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME SO Owen Farrell seems like he may have called time on his England career by choosing […]

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