With just two weekends remaining in the Women’s Six Nations, Round 3 will be a big one in deciding where the bragging rights end up in Fantasy Rugby leagues far and wide.
With plenty at stake across Saturday’s two games, it will be a nerve-wracking occasion for both supporters and Fantasy Rugby managers as they discover whether midweek changes have paid off.
If you’ve got to Friday afternoon and not yet solved your selection headaches, we hope this can act as some form of remedy…
Pick your Fantasy Rugby team now!
Ireland v France
Those who plumped for Ireland backs in Round 2 were swiftly rewarded, with Beibhinn Parsons and Eimear Considine each crossing twice in the first half to go with a try apiece for Sene Nouapu and Hannah Tyrrell.
Indeed, Parsons’ brace combined with a staggering 162 metres gained gave her 144.1 points, making the 19-year-old the leading scorer in this year’s Fantasy Rugby game so far.
It’s a tally now reflected in her price tag, 18.5 stars, but a performance similar to last weekend will make the wing worth every penny.
Another Irish young gun, Dorothy Wall, also got her name on the scoresheet last time out and earned 99.1 points for those who had placed their faith in a back-rower very reasonably priced at 15 stars.
Four must-have forwards for your Fantasy team
Elsewhere in the pack, Lindsay Peat and Linda Djougang are two of the three highest-scoring props so far with respective points hauls of 49.8 and 47.4 – and both come in at under 12 stars.
Les Bleues have made eight changes to the side which beat Wales in Round 1 but it seems a fair bet many Fantasy Rugby managers will be keeping faith with Caroline Boujard, who starts on the wing after her 14-minute hat-trick a fortnight ago.
Her near-namesake Emilie Boulard, priced at 17.2 stars, brought home 106.2 points for those who went with the full-back against Wales and could prove popular – though competition is intense for the full-back berth.
Also hitting three figures in Round 1 was No.8 Emeline Gros, who keeps her place in the starting XV – as does Agathe Sochat, whose 63.3 points make her the highest-scoring hooker to date.
Scotland v Italy
Challenging contests against England have made Fantasy Rugby points hard to come by for both Scottish and Italian players so far but they will see Saturday’s contest as a chance to make amends with second place in Pool A at stake.
Helen Nelson was Scotland’s highest scorer in Round 1 with 21.8 points and the centre, priced at 14.3 stars, will hope to thrive on the added responsibility of the captaincy in the absence of Rachel Malcolm.
Malcolm’s injury means a first international start for Evie Gallagher, who could prove a bargain at 11.8 stars in the back row, while 13.9-star full-back Chloe Rollie offers a good value alternative to the aforementioned Considine and Boulard.
Four must-have backs for your Fantasy team
Manuela Furlan and Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi are also worth considering as both are in Italy’s starting XV – though only one can be selected due to them both being listed as full-backs in Fantasy Rugby.
Azzurre captain Furlan started on the wing against England, making 97 metres, and will set you back just 13.6 stars – Minuzzi is a similarly tempting 12.7.
Don’t forget, tackles are a valuable commodity within Fantasy Rugby and in Lucia Gai and Giordana Duca, Italy have two players who each made 15 last week and are priced at just 9.2 and 10.6 stars respectively.
