Get your thinking caps on and calculators back out the draw, because it’s time to pick your first ever Women’s Six Nations Fantasy Rugby team!
For the first time ever, you have the chance to prove your knowledge of the women’s game against friends and family as you tussle for supremacy at the top of the table.
Women’s Six Nations Fantasy Rugby 2021 – Tap here to get started!
Be prepared to cheer for every metre your players run with the ball, every tackle they make and every defender they leave clutching at thin air, because that means plenty more points for you.
So while the teams battle for top spot in their respective pools this year, you will be cheering them on with extra gusto as they earn you the big numbers, and with some fantastic prizes on offer along the way, there is plenty to be competing for.
Picking your team
If you joined in the thrills and spills of the Guinness Six Nations Fantasy Rugby game earlier in the year, this won’t come as much as a surprise to you, but for the uninitiated – let’s begin.
Each participant is offered a budget of 205 stars to build their dream XV, with a maximum of five players from each nation allowed in your team.
Each team must feature 15 players from all the usual rugby positions, whose exploits on the pitch will determine how many points they contribute – so don’t try and pick all the speedy wingers, show the props and locks some love too!
How do you pick up the points?
Picking players from a winning team is going to earn you points, because if one of your inclusions is playing at home, a win earns your team 12 points, while a draw and a defeat are worth four points and one point respectively, while a victory on the road gets you 18 points, a draw is worth ten and a defeat three points.
The designated captain in your team will see their points doubled in that respective round, while a bonus of 20 points will also be awarded to you.
Points difference is also something to consider, with 0.5 points being added or taken away from your score for every point separating the two teams in each player’s match.
As well as scoring points for the team, Fantasy Rugby also scores you points for an individual’s efforts during the 80 minutes, with a try scorer earning you 15 points, while conversions and penalties are both worth three points and drop goals get you six points.
The fleet-footed stars will also rack up the points, with two points given for every defender beaten, while each carried metre is worth 0.3 points – it might not sound like a lot but that can rack up fairly quickly if you pick the right stars.
Don’t forget the defence though, with every tackle earning you another point towards your collection, and those deemed a dominant tackle are worth two points to your total.
Finally, if one of your squad members is named the official Women’s Six Nations Player of the Match in their game you will be rewarded with 15 points, while yellow and red cards result in subsequent deductions of five and ten points respectively.
Who should you pick?
First of all, remember that with the new format for the competition this year there are only two matches per round, meaning two teams won’t be in action each weekend.
Therefore, you need to keep your wits about you to keep your team ready and refreshed for each game week, and in Round 1 you should avoid any Irish or Italian players as both sides aren’t in action.
But there are a range of players to pick from the four sides that are taking to the field this weekend, with plenty of points on offer to anyone who picks the perfect combination in their starting XV.
England
For reigning champions England, you need look no further than captain fantastic Emily Scarratt, with the Red Roses skipper top scoring in the 2020 competition with 55 points to her name, as well as topping the list in ground gained after advancing 376m with the ball in hand.
The 31-year-old will be starting at centre for Saturday’s clash with Scotland to get the 2021 Championship underway, but at 18.0 stars she is the most expensive player in the game by some distance, with fellow hotshot Jess Breach coming in at second with a price tag of 16.5 stars.
Breach burst onto the scene in the 2019 Women’s Six Nations by scoring nine tries in her five appearances, before backing that up with another three to add to her tally last year.
If she is at her best once again this year, you can expect her to be crossing the try line just as regularly, while No.8 Poppy Cleall will also be looking to add to her four tries scored in the last campaign, and you can make the 15.0 star gamble if you think she will.
Scotland
The visitors will have to be on their game in defence to keep the reigning champions at bay in Doncaster, and with captain Rachel Malcolm leading by example they have every chance of holding firm in Saturday’s affair.
The Scottish skipper registered more tackles than any of her teammates in the 2021 Championship, averaging just under 14 per game for her side, and at 13.0 stars she would be well worth the punt this time around.
Helen Nelson (14.5 stars) can always be relied on with the boot for Bryan Easson’s side, while Emma Wassell (10.5 stars) and Lisa Thomson (13.5 stars) will be trying to cross the try line for the second Women’s Six Nations in succession after doing so last year.
Fullback Chloe Rollie averaged 104m with the ball in hand in each of her three matches in 2020 and would be well worth a dabble as she looks to gobble up the ground once again at Castle Park.
France
The options are endless with this French squad, especially in the backs, with scrum-half Pauline Bourdon primed to call the shots once again for her country this year, and she can be yours for just 15.0 stars.
You’d have to stretch the budget to squeeze Jessy Tremouliere into your team, but even at 16.5 stars, it is always hard to resist the Women’s Player of the Decade, who bagged 32 points in last year’s competition, as well as carrying the ball for 271m – she might start on the bench against Wales this weekend, but that won’t stop her from making an impact.
If you want tries, and we know you do, then look no further than Laure Sansus (12.0 stars) and Marine Ménager (16.0 stars), with the former helping herself to four tries in 2020, while you can always expect fireworks from the latter as the competition progresses.
And if you want quality on both sides of the ball, then Safi N’Diaye is the woman for you, with the loose forward scoring a couple of tries as well as stopping 49 ball carriers in their tracks last time around. 14.0 stars and she’s yours.
Wales
After failing to register a win last time around, Wales will be eager to set the record straight in 2021, and you can enjoy the ride with them with a number of shrewd acquisitions for your team.
Fullback Robyn Wilkins is useful from the kicking tee and will grab you points when she converts with the boot, as well as gaining metres forward with ball in hand, just as she did last year with 103m progressed.
But the real points-maker when choosing from the Welsh side is in defence, with five of the top six tacklers in the 2020 Championship all wearing the red jersey.
It was Alisha Butchers who topped the list last year, but with her being absent this time around skipper Siwan Lillicrap would be the perfect pick, with the Welsh captain’s 13.5 price tag making her a brilliant bargain buy after her 69 tackles last year.
Kerin Lake also topped the 60-tackle mark last time around, and at just 13.0 stars she will be a nice little addition in the centres, with France likely to throw the kitchen sink at their opponents in Vannes.
