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Jeff Probyn
/ 12 years agoJeff Probyn: Lancaster must be able to pick on-form players
The first European break gives us time to look back at what has been a hectic start to the season. Five...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 12 years agoJeff Probyn: Euro row could be start of clubs flexing more muscle
I have a question. Does the word ‘professional’ mean running a business or getting paid, or are they one and the...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 12 years agoJeff Probyn: Clubs face oblivion if RFU take on PRL over Europe
Financial Oblivion are the words used by Bath‘s owner Bruce Craig when describing the possible fate facing the RaboDirect Pro12 if...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 12 years agoJeff Probyn: Money is not the root of all success in Europe
There’s an old saying which seems to be more and more fashionable in our game and that is, ‘money talks’. As...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 12 years agoJeff Probyn: Biting, refs row, Euro battle…yes, the season’s back!
The season is off and running and once again it’s not the rugby on the field that grabs the headlines. As...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 12 years agoJeff Probyn: Front rows must discover the lost arts – or perish
I was at Twickenham this week and found myself at a Press conference outlining the new scrum engagement call, along with...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 12 years agoJeff Probyn: Why didn’t they consult those who know about the scrum?
With less than a week until the start of the new season we are told that the whole structure of the...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 12 years agoJeff Probyn: Proposed Heineken deal leaves Rabo with peanuts
I often wonder if Premiership Rugby chief executive Mark McCafferty is living in the real world or one that is dominated...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 12 years agoJeff Probyn: Maybe the IRB have got the scrum right at last
Crouch, Touch, Set and off we go as the latest incarnation of the scrum engagement is rolled out across the game....
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Jeff Probyn
/ 12 years agoJeff Probyn: Now we must research the true risk of dementia
With all the excitement of the announcement of the new elite player squad some rather bad news almost slipped under the...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 12 years agoJeff Probyn: Merv…the O’Driscoll axe lacked respect
I had to laugh when I read the comments posted by ‘Merv’ following my article about Brian O’ Driscoll being left...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 12 years agoJeff Probyn: Axed Pollock pays price for Lions’ lack of Plan B
It may be over and finished but the Lions tour is still reverberating throughout the game – and not in a...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 12 years agoJeff Probyn: O’Driscoll deserved to end his career with dignity
Okay, okay I admit it, I said that I thought the Aussies would win that third Test and the series and...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 12 years agoJeff Probyn: High ticket prices will keep kids away from World Cup
Well that’s it for another four years (12 if you’re Australian), the end of another Lions tour with all the angst...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 12 years agoJeff Probyn: Cuthbert’s knee-drop was as bad as Horwill’s ‘stamp’
The IRB’s decision to call for a re-trial of Australian captain James Horwill re the stamping charge he was cleared of...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 12 years agoJeff Probyn: Now Gatland knows some players aren’t good enough
A disaster, a loss of momentum, overplaying in the conditions and a drop in standards were the words and phrases used...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 12 years agoJeff Probyn: Lions must copy All Blacks hatred of complacency
As the Lions continue their winning ways Down Under putting virtual cricket scores on all they meet, there are still some...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 12 years agoJeff Probyn: No retaliation? That leaves players open to attack
I apologise if I sound like angry from Tunbridge Wells but am I the only one a little puzzled by all...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: Lions must have full control and never do a Hartley
As the Lions prepare for the real start to this summer’s much awaited tour, the question is, (money aside) why bother...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: Five golden steps which would restore the scrum
The IRB have announced their latest incarnation of the scrum engagement sequence that incorporates pre-binding and the need to put the...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: Late kick-offs can harm the legacy of RWC 2015
With news about the Lions selection dominating the sports pages, someone at RWC 2015 must have thought no-one would notice. The...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: Sorry, but I just can’t see any Englishman starting first Test
With the horse trading over at last we can now focus on a squad that we all hope will bring home...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: Blame Sarries fan base not ERC for no-show, Edward
As the majority of the Aviva Premiership took a well- earned break this weekend, the expectation was that the only major...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: Make cuts now, Exiles, or you may face ruin later
Like the scene from Titanic after the ship hit the iceberg, the relegation of London Welsh has seen many of those associated with...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: Where do English clubs go if they quit Heineken Cup?
This week saw the traditional end to the rugby season at club level with the vast majority of England‘s clubs playing...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: Surely it’s best for Wales that North’s in England not France
Why is it that when clubs or regions have a disagreement with their Unions they always appear to threaten a new...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: RFU must step in and end this financial ring-fencing
As the disappointments of the Six Nations fades into memory, club rugby comes back into focus as we approach the business...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: Selection of Marler cost England the game
As the wheels fell off England’s Chariot in Cardiff I couldn’t help thinking that it was probably for the best. The...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: End this cult of ‘superstar’ refs and sort out the scrum
If there is one thing that has made this Six Nations Championship more memorable than most, it is the controversy that has...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: These ‘hospitality’ packages are just fleecing the fans
It would seem that Nick Cain‘s expose of the Lion’s tour ticket price rigging is just the tip of the ‘rip-off...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: President Jason can use his powers to help grassroots
The action of the RFU Council in overturning their nominations panel’s choice of president for the 2015 World Cup is probably...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: Lancaster was always in win-win situation with RFU
It’s just over a year ago that many observers were questioning the decision of the RFU to appoint a ‘nobody’ as...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: I’m starting to believe in a Grand Slam for England
It has often been said that a week in rugby is a long time. Two weeks ago I sang the praises...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: Mutual trust is what bonds a winning squad together
Why is it that every England team have to proffer the idea that they are so different to those that have...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: Memo to Telfer: the Scots are most elitist of them all
So the English are too arrogant, too pretentious and too condescending and the Welsh are lazy, or so says former Scotland...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: Scotland must prove they should not be demoted
Just one more week and the wait is over for the most eagerly awaited Six Nations Championship in years. Each of...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: Being paid to play for your country feels wrong
A question that is often asked is what price international rugby? Well, now we know. If the players play as many...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: Time to bin the sin bin and keep the game fair
In a week that should have been all about the new Elite Player Squad the spotlight continues to burn on the...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: I didn’t need a letter to know my dad backed me
I think it is fair to say that 2012 was Stuart Lancaster‘s year more than anyone else in rugby, despite no...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: There’s hope, despair and the road to redemption
Now the end of the year approaches, we can reflect on the first half of the season and look forward to...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: No guarantee that artificial pitches will boost scrum
Some time ago I wrote about my doubts concerning Saracens‘ ambitions to play on an artificial pitch and whether it would...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: Heineken Cup row could damage the Six Nations
The Heineken Cup, despite all the trials and tribulations is rumbling along in its usual fashion, with all but one group...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: Lions tour could damage Lancaster’s World Cup bid
Last week’s surprise win against the current world champions was thoroughly deserved as the players delivered on all counts and it...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: Lancaster’s balancing act is crucial for World Cup hopes
Balance is something that every successful team must have and from before my glory days to England’s World Cup winning team...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: Lack of collective thinking cost us World Cup victory
I am rather surprised by some people’s reactions to the reasons why England‘s young team failed to make the right choices...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: RFU ‘blazers’ are value for money – unlike others!
The relevance of the RFU Council was brought into question in last week’s paper by former chairman of the management board...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: French laissez faire makes English exports play better
What is it about the Press that always makes them want someone picked by England who is not in the squad?...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: ‘Understanding the game’ won England World Cup
As England‘s coaches prepare their squad for the autumn internationals it seems they have chosen to go back to the past...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: Five-year ring-fence could destroy our game in North
Last week I wrote about the newly formed Rugby Coaches Association (RCA) and how it could be good for the game...
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Jeff Probyn
/ 13 years agoJeff Probyn: New union may give coaches more time to do their job
I must admit I am surprised it has taken as long as it has, but at last the announcement of the...












