It all comes down to fine margins in Guinness Six Nations Fantasy Rugby, and it’s getting to that time again when we have to sort our teams out ahead of Round 4.
The fallow week has given us all time to gather our thoughts and find out where the stars need to be spent to climb the leaderboard, with three more crunch clashes coming up this weekend.
Will Wales and France remain unbeaten, who will come out on top between Ireland and Scotland, and who will be ending the weekend top of the Fantasy Rugby pile?
As ever, finding the value in the forwards can prove the difference when you’re battling for supremacy against your mates, so luckily we’ve helped you out with six picks of our own.
They’ve all delivered the goods so far for their countries, so will they do so again in Round 4?
This man is England’s tackle machine, with anybody who tries to find a gap in reigning champions’ defence having to come up against the insurmountable frame of Tom Curry.
45 unlucky men tried to do exactly that this year and haven’t found a way through, with the Sale Sharks man adding five dominant tackles to his collection as well.
And he knows how to make defenders miss when he is in possession; leaving four would-be tacklers behind him with the ball in hand, en route to running a grand total of 109 metres forward.
Eddie Jones will be calling upon the 22-year-old once again against France this weekend, and the way Les Bleus are playing, Curry will be back to what he does best at Twickenham. Tackling
There’s nothing Charles Ollivon likes more than winning games of rugby, but scoring tries against England would come a very close second on the list.
The French captain helped himself to a double the last time the two sides met in the Guinness Six Nations, as he helped his side to a 24-17 in the opening match of the 2020 Championship, and he will be hungry for more this time around.
The 27-year-old has showcased those try-scoring instincts once again this year, as he crossed in Les Bleus’ 15-13 victory over Ireland in Round 2, helping him amass 116.8 points from his two matches so far.
As dominant without the ball as he is powerful with it, Ollivon will earn you plenty of points in the clash against Eddie Jones’ side as he never shirks his responsibility in defence, with an average of 15.5 tackles per 80 minutes on the field.
Two tries against Italy last time out has only helped Will Connors’ burgeoning reputation as one of the best young forwards to be making their mark on the international stage at the moment.
The back-row is another player to come off of the Leinster conveyor belt and has replicated the form he has shown on the domestic stage for his country this year.
The young star may have only gained 53 metres with the ball, but it is much more quality rather than quantity when he is involved, as he twice found a gap against the Azzurri to touch down in Round 3.
Without the ball is where Connors really excels, with 20 tackles to his name in his three outings, with two of those being dominant tackles that have changed the momentum of the game.
If Scotland are going to get a victory against Ireland this weekend they are going to have to be on top of their game on both sides of the ball, and the performance of Hamish Watson will go some way to deciding their fate.
The 29-year-old was almost unplayable in Scotland’s opening day victory over England at Twickenham, and was just as impressive against Wales in Round 2, and didn’t deserve to be on the losing side that day.
No Scottish player has recorded more tackles than the 29-year-old, with Watson stopping 28 ball carriers dead in their tracks in his two matches in the Championship, with one of those also counting as a dominant tackle.
The Edinburgh man is so often the driving force for his side when coming forward as well, and with 91 metres gained and four tackles broken, he will no doubt be adding to his 86.4 points that he has amassed so far.
He’s here, he’s there, he’s everywhere. Taulupe Faletau has been an absolute powerhouse for Wales during their unbeaten start to the 2021 Championship, with his performance in the 40-24 victory over England last time out something to be admired.
The 30-year-old was like a man possessed at Principality Stadium, as he fought tooth and nail for every ball in his Player of the Match performance, with his Championship-leading 49 tackles contributing to his overall total of 185.4 points after three fixtures.
Faletau is the highest scorer for his country heading into Round 4, and with a clash against Italy coming up at Stadio Olimpico this weekend, he will be hungry to add to that total in Rome.
His 208 metres gained with the ball and two broken tackles also prove he can do the business with ball in hand, and constantly looks hungry for more whenever he is in possession.
Fresh from his first ever Guinness Six Nations try last time out, Johan Meyer will be searching for even more success when he takes to the field this weekend against Wales.
The Zebre flanker never gives anything less than 100% in the battle up front, and his score just before the interval in the 48-10 defeat to Ireland last time out was nothing less than he deserved after a string of impressive performances for his country.
No Italian forward has scored more than the 57.3 points that the 28-year-old has picked up so far, with 21 tackles and 159 metres run with the ball contributing to his total so far.
