Jeff Probyn - News, Views and Opinion -The Rugby Paper

Once again, officials fail to punish the Lions

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 10 Aug 2025 02:58:57 +0000

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME SO the tour is over, and the Lions return home happy at a result that perhaps they didn’t really deserve, winning two of the three Tests – particularly as, yet again, match officials failed to punish the Lions for on field law breaking. Leinster hooker Dan […]

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As we all well know, history is set in stone

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 03 Aug 2025 02:59:09 +0000

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME SURPRISE, surprise the Lions won the series last week so it really didn’t matter what happened yesterday as, win or lose, the Lions had won their tour and will come home to a heroes’ welcome. Although the game last week raised a lot of questions as […]

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Jeff Probyn: The British and Irish Lions abandoning Australia would be big mistake

Jeff Probyn — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 02:59:12 +0000

I am amazed by the idea that if the Lions are successful in completing a three-Test clean sweep over the Australians next weekend that the Lions committee would even consider that it could be the last time the Lions tour there. The so called clamour for a more local tour to France maybe more attractive […]

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Jeff Probyn: Steve Borthwick has to rethink his England squad

Jeff Probyn — Sun, 13 Jul 2025 02:59:07 +0000

Last week the England rugby team showed some character in their game against Argentina that has been missing in many of their recent games and managed an outstanding win for their first Test in Argentina. Head coach Steve Borthwick seems to have at last found a better balance of his playing squad with a number […]

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Jeff Probyn: Once again, Andy Farrell puts his son first

Jeff Probyn — Sun, 06 Jul 2025 02:59:08 +0000

It seems this trip to Australia may be a prelude to the beginning of the end for the Lions in their current form. The multi-game tours of the past by individual nations seem to have faded away, being replaced by only a Test match tour with games between the two national sides. The Lions are […]

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Jeff Probyn: Building trust will be vital for Andy Farrell in the British and Irish Lions squad

Jeff Probyn — Sun, 29 Jun 2025 02:59:07 +0000

As the Lions settle in Australia having played their first warm up game against Western Force, it has given head coach Andy Farrell the chance to see if the Argentinian loss was just a case of his players trying a bit too hard to impress him, or if there is some real need for change. […]

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Jeff Probyn: It was great to see the season end with a roar

Jeff Probyn — Sun, 22 Jun 2025 02:59:13 +0000

The end of another season and dare I say the first proper end to the Premiership seasonal competition in years. There have been an endless number of seasons where one club has dominated the league to an unrealistic extent that it has been a foregone conclusion as to who was going to be champions months […]

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Jeff Probyn: See how big Jonah Lomu changed the game

Jeff Probyn — Sun, 15 Jun 2025 02:59:14 +0000

Nick Cain’s article in last week’s Rugby Paper was a real eye opener by simplifying something that many others have thought too hard to put into words. He explained the reason why the game is in decline in many of the major rugby playing nations of the world including England, Wales, Scotland, Australia and New […]

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Jeff Probyn: Another battling show by Bordeaux

Jeff Probyn — Sun, 01 Jun 2025 02:59:02 +0000

What a great game last weekend’s Champions Cup final turned out to be with both of the finalists, Northampton and Bordeaux Begles, rising to the occasion and putting on an 80-minute performance to rival any game we have seen this season.

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Jeff Probyn: An uphill battle for Championship winners

Jeff Probyn — Sun, 25 May 2025 02:59:09 +0000

Am I the only person who thinks the idea of the Championship setting up a new idea of multiple play-offs to decide the club that wins the Champ, as it will now be called, before facing a duo of challenging home and away matches against the bottom club of the Premiership is a no-win situation? […]

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I was thrilled to finally receive my Lions cap

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 18 May 2025 02:58:40 +0000

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME IT’S funny how at a time when the game is looking forward to something special for a few players, I feel a little sad for all those that have missed out. I am, of course, talking about the Lions selection which has always been a puzzle […]

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I’m surprised that Owen was left out

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 11 May 2025 02:58:49 +0000

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Waiting game: Neither Owen Farrell nor, inset, Jamie George were picked by Andy Farrell in his Lions squad PICTURES: Getty Images SO Andy Farrell has named his squad for the Lions and has put the cat among the pigeons firstly by naming both of Ireland’s two […]

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Jeff Probyn: Women’s game not paying for itself

Jeff Probyn — Sun, 04 May 2025 02:58:50 +0000

By Jeff Probyn - A front row view of the game First things first, congratulations to England’s women’s team for winning yet another Six Nations with some fine displays of attacking rugby and good defensive work. Having said that, I am sure I am not the only person who would think that it was a […]

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Jeff Probyn: Premiership Promotion should not depend on capacity

Jeff Probyn — Sun, 27 Apr 2025 02:58:38 +0000

By Jeff Probyn - A front row view of the game It is funny how quickly things change once the pressure of a potential revolution is subdued and pushed firmly into the background for at least the next few months. In the run-up to the recent SGM, every effort was made to prove to all […]

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Jeff Probyn: Like wine, props used to get better with age

Jeff Probyn — Sun, 20 Apr 2025 02:58:41 +0000

A front row view of the game Earlier this week, I was asked to do an interview for GB News to talk about my time playing rugby and how the game at international and club level has changed. The conversation started with details of when I got my first cap which was in the spring […]

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Jeff Probyn: Drop the tackle height for everyone

Jeff Probyn — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 02:58:33 +0000

A front row view of the game The University of Edinburgh has discovered through research and by watching and comparing 18,702 tackles that took place in 60 community rugby matches in 2022/23 – after the introduction of a new low tackle law that was trialled by World Rugby in 2023/24 – a reduction in the […]

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Dudley was right about the money…

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 02:58:31 +0000

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME IT SEEMS that Dudley Wood, the former RFU secretary (equivalent of the modern day CEO), was right in his conversation with me back in 1991 when we were discussing the potential of the professional rugby spectre coming into the Union game. At that time the England […]

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Jeff Probyn: Regional powers will help grow the game

Jeff Probyn — Sun, 30 Mar 2025 02:58:38 +0000

By Jeff Probyn - A front row view of the game With the SGM now concluded, the English game will be waiting to see if the agreed increase in regional power distribution to all levels of the game will in fact, happen. Which poses the question: where will that take England rugby in the near […]

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England still need to have a plan B

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 23 Mar 2025 03:58:16 +0000

By Jeff Probn - A front row view of the game Well, what a Six Nations we have just had with a mix of games and results that truly capture the ethos of the competition with everything coming down to the last day and results of the last three games. Those games each had a […]

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England’s defence too good for Italy

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 16 Mar 2025 03:58:14 +0000

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Out on his own: Marcus Smith breaks clear to score England’s fourth try against Italy PICTURES: Getty Images AT LAST England put together a performance that saw them win by more than the one point they seemed to favour with a winning margin of 23 points […]

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England need a true, open pathway

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 03:58:30 +0000

By Jeff Probyn - A front row view of the game So, Bill Beaumont is calling for a game in unison where all clubs are happy and singing from the same song sheet which sadly it is not, and has not been the case now for a number of years. In many ways the game […]

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Six Nations: Time for England to focus on tries

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 02 Mar 2025 03:58:33 +0000

By Jeff Probyn - A front row view of the game With another week off, there is now more time to reflect on the games played over the last few weeks. Did the England team finally turn a corner with a second win on the bounce, or was it proof that, after the mess of […]

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Start off with the ‘new’ and finish with the old

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 23 Feb 2025 03:58:51 +0000

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME FIND it hard to understand why there are now so many breaks in the Six Nations competition as after just having a week off we now face another break extending the competition from the February 1 to March 15. I understand the continual pressure for safeguarding […]

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England are now potential champs

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 16 Feb 2025 03:58:40 +0000

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME On the up: Fin Baxter goes over for his try against France PICTURES: Getty Images AT LONG last a win for England outplaying the French, although a game yet again so full of errors you would have thought you were watching rank amateurs rather than elite […]

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Six Nations: England need best players on in last 20

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 09 Feb 2025 03:58:32 +0000

By Jeff Probyn - A front row view of the game An exciting time in rugby with the start of the Six Nations last week, but despite all the promises made by England and others, all the results were pretty much what was expected even though we may have hoped for something different. Scotland’s 31-19 […]

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I’m surprised by £30m offer to community game

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 02 Feb 2025 03:58:38 +0000

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME England leaders: Maro Itoje and Jamie George and, inset, Bill Sweeney PICTURES: Getty Images THE unexpected offer of a £30 million payout to the community game for the next four years to help mend the financial problems, caused when the RFU unexpectedly withdrew grassroots funding a […]

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England need to focus on playing the full 80 during the Six Nations

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 03:58:32 +0000

By Jeff Probyn - A Front row view on the game So Steve Borthwick has decided that his England team need to start the games much faster than how they have previously if they are to win matches in this season’s Six Nations. I have to say I think he is wrong. England have started […]

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Bill’s tour depends on fame, not facts

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 19 Jan 2025 03:58:20 +0000

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME Well, it hasn’t taken long for Bill Beaumont to reveal what we were all thinking, with a number of unsubstantiated statements and promises to visit a number of grassroots clubs to ‘explain’ why the current RFU management are doing fine and should be kept. It has […]

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We can learn a lot from French

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 03:58:40 +0000

By Jeff Probyn - A front row view on the game There is so much that is wrong with the game in England, could it be because our system failed to follow the French when the game went professional? Since the start of the professional game back in 1995 the French just carried on with […]

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We need to see a complete shake-up

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 05 Jan 2025 03:59:09 +0000

By Jeff Probyn - A front-row view of the game A new year and change is on the way across many aspects of the game, not least with the possibility of an SGM creating a complete change at the RFU. When and if the SGM does take place, it will be the old style committee […]

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Choice of ‘popular’ Bill Beaumont a surprise

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 03:59:06 +0000

By Jeff Probyn - A front-row view on the game I may be wrong but the speed at which the RFU has made the appointment of Bill Beaumont as the new chair man, even if just as a temporary measure, doesn’t bode well for the future of the game. It would seem that Bill has […]

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England must find a way to deliver

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 22 Dec 2024 03:58:28 +0000

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME WITH Christmas fast approaching, it’s time for us all to look forward to better things and hope we achieve them. For rugby fans, that could be the club that we support either keep on playing the right game and keep winning, or if you support a […]

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England must find a way to deliver

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 22 Dec 2024 03:58:28 +0000

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England must find a way to deliver

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 22 Dec 2024 03:58:28 +0000

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I can’t believe the RFU chiefs will walk away

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 03:58:26 +0000

JEFF PROBYN A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME I CANNOT believe that anyone would expect that Bill Sweeney or Tom Ilube will willingly walk away from their roles at the RFU even if there is a vote of no confidence in either or both of them. I am assuming that they have contracts with […]

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RFU Council must make a stand for whole game

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 03:58:25 +0000

By Jeff Probyn - A front row view of the game Now the Autumn Nation Series is over – with all four games at the Twickenham Allianz Stadium virtual sellouts with crowds close to the maximum 82,000 – the RFU should be in a good financial position. Although, with the self-interest of those taking bonuses […]

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Borthwick needs to sort out defence

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 03:58:39 +0000

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 Cup PICTURE: Getty Images WELL surprise, surprise England at last managed to win at home in front of a nearly full Allianz stadium even if it was against a team […]

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England can find a little bit of cheer

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 24 Nov 2024 03:58:28 +0000

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 us hoping and expecting Steve Borthwick’s team to win today after three weeks of bitter disappointment. It is the last game of the year for the England team, against an […]

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England still can’t hold it together

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 17 Nov 2024 03:58:39 +0000

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 IT seems England have not learned the lessons that they were taught by New Zealand, after losing their second game to Australia last weekend despite leading into the dying seconds […]

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England need to be more consistent

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 03:58:34 +0000

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 won PICTURES: Getty Images I WAS at last week’s game against the All Blacks and as much as I enjoyed my first visit to the stadium since the Six Nations, […]

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New England group will cause uncertainty

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 03 Nov 2024 03:59:04 +0000

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 players, a number of new agreements and a new group raises its head. The new Team England Rugby (TER) is a new group led by the current players who want […]

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WR should fund free second opinion

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 03:58:17 +0000

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 Cain and Brendan Gallagher both wrote about the class action that is currently being brought against World Rugby, the RFU and the WRU. It’s been suggested by some that Rylands […]

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Don’t sub captain just after half-time

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 20 Oct 2024 02:58:21 +0000

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 weeks to go to see if Steve Borthwick has learned anything new about his team of coaches and players when they face three of the southern hemisphere’s best sides. With […]

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Sorry to say, but it’s their own fault

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 13 Oct 2024 02:58:17 +0000

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 and even in what it does within the game. However, the recent RFU ‘welcome back’ offer to Worcester, Wasps and London Irish is quite a dramatic change from what Richmond, […]

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

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 06 Oct 2024 02:58:12 +0000

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 Rugby Paper and see what is really happening in our game. It could be news of the management of the game by World Rugby and the unions and how they […]

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

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 29 Sep 2024 02:59:09 +0000

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. Bath reaped revenge against Northampton for daring to beat them in last season’s play-off final, while there was another loss for Newcastle to add to their winless run. Of course, […]

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Jonny was great but Jason made the real difference

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 22 Sep 2024 02:58:31 +0000

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 to be put up by people who really don’t seem to know what they are looking at. This even goes for our World Cup win in 2003 with everybody proclaiming […]

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England Women heading in the wrong direction

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 15 Sep 2024 02:58:38 +0000

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 thinking that perhaps their game is heading in the wrong direction. I say wrong direction even though England once again won against a team that they haven’t lost to in […]

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Hard to pin the blame on unions

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 08 Sep 2024 02:58:42 +0000

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 Monday looks set to impact on the number of new and current players across the game. The legal action taken against World Rugby, the WRU and the RFU was highlighted […]

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It looks good – for the Premiership

The Rugby Paper Team — Sun, 01 Sep 2024 02:59:09 +0000

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 only talking about the Premiership and what they will receive. Given that the £260,000,000 agreement will provide all of the 10 Premiership clubs around £3,250,000 for each season over the […]

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