After a break weekend the Guinness Six Nations returns on Saturday for a highly anticipated Round 4.
The back rows have been raking in the points so far, but will that trend continue going into this weekend’s two fixtures?
PLAY GUINNESS SIX NATIONS FANTASY RUGBY
ENGLAND V WALES
Despite Wales being unable to retain their title, Saturday’s game at Twickenham is destined to provide entertainment given the history and rivalry of both teams.
The returns of both Liam Williams and Josh Navidi will provide Wales with some much-needed firepower as they aim to bounce back against Eddie Jones’ side.
Williams’ return comes after a long injury lay-off due to a serious ankle injury sustained at the World Cup back in October, but his class is still acknowledged by his 14.8 star price tag.
However, with top performer Josh Adams now ruled out with injury, flanker Justin Tipuric will be aiming to step up in place after averaging a total of 44.7 from the three opening games.
Forking out 15.5 stars on him may set you back so the more price efficient scrum-half Tomos Williams is a good option. At 12.2 stars his 41.86 points against Italy in Round 1 proves he is capable of a high-scoring tally.
However, England will likely prove to be tougher opposition than the Italians and as a result, their options in the back row have to be given a lot of thought.
Tom Curry is set to prove their prowess against the Welsh but he comes at a hefty price. Curry will set you back 15.3 stars but at 14.7 Courtney Lawes is a little more affordable.
Maro Itoje’s consecutive high-scoring performances against Scotland and Ireland means his 15.7-star price tag could also be justified.
The Saracens lock scored a jaw dropping 47.6 and 45.6 in Rounds 2 and 3 after a patchy performance against France in their opening match.
The 25-year-old second row is averaging 12 tackles a match thus far but is yet to get himself on the score sheet. Could we see him break his duck against Wales?
SCOTLAND V FRANCE
Gregor Townsend’s side will be aiming to slow down France’s quest to achieve their first Guinness Six Nations title in ten years by building on victory over Italy in the previous round.
However, the French have been in high-scoring form so it comes as no surprise that the top three most expensive players wear the famous blue jersey.
Fly-half Romain Ntamack tops the pile at a price of 18.1 stars but due to his ground-breaking performances in all three opening rounds you can see why.
After scoring a mere 43.33 points in Round 1, Ntamack pulled out 91.6 points against Wales last week and you would not bet against him replicating that form against the Scots.
Another high performer you may consider splashing your stars on is Grégory Alldritt.
The 22-year-old is having the campaign of his life so far and after setting a record with his 113.2 point return in Round 2 he will be hungry to add to the 43 carries he has already made so far.
But, if you are looking for more bang for your buck (or stars in this case) then prop Mohamed Haouas is a good punt at 11.7 stars.
Haouas has started all three of France’s games so far and will be looking forward to matching up against the Scottish front row.
However, no doubt that Stuart Hogg is the main man for the Scots and after an 88.9 return against Italy it is safe to say the Exeter full-back has found his stride at this year’s Championship after scoring a stunning try.
The skipper has quite literally led the charge for Scotland this year, carrying the ball a staggering 264 metres, but can he do it again against the Championship leaders?
Please note that due to the postponement of the Ireland vs Italy and the Italy vs England matches in Rounds 4 and 5 we have put in place two special rules for Fantasy Rugby players.
1) Players from any teams involved in postponed matches will earn 10 points if you keep them in your starting XV (5 points on the bench).
2) In all leagues you will be able to select 1 additional player from the same nation (That means a maximum of 5 players per nation instead of 4 in the standard mode).
Rounds will conclude at the normal times for Rounds 4 and 5 (Sunday evening) with points totals for all players calculated at that stage.
Points from re-scheduled matches will not be factored in to the Fantasy game.
