Except, that is, when it comes to being named in the Six Nations Fantasy Rugby Hall of Fame, that is.
While we’re talking quotes, Ernest Hemingway wrote that he would “rather be exact” than lucky, and those fantasy players who reached the top in this year’s Championship were no flashes in the pan.
Armed with some serious rugby knowledge – and maybe a little help from Fantasy Rugby Geek, who’s set to return in 2024 – they stormed to the peak of several points-scoring categories.
THE GREATEST
The best score achieved in a game round went to ‘Ryan’, with a massive haul of 1045.5 points from Round 2. In fact, nine of the next best scores were achieved in that round, which saw all three winning nations claim bonus points (IRE 32-19 FRA, SCO 35-7, ENG 31-14).
Ireland fullback Hugo Keenan provided the most fantasy gains that round, his 205 metres of carrying and try helping to rack up 98 points. Next was Scotland fly-half Finn Russell, whose masterclass Player of the Match performance was worth 90.6 points. Behind Russell by 15.6 points was teammate Kyle Steyn, whose scored a brace of tries within seven minutes.
THE FINISHER
Across this year’s Fantasy Rugby campaign, it was ‘Gordie1115’ who picked the most try-scoring players. His selections crossed for a whopping 34 tries, suggesting Gordie has an eye for a player who has an eye for the try line.
It’s worth reminding you that this year’s top try scorers were as follows: Damian Penaud (5); Huw Jones and Blair Kinghorn (4 apiece); and Thomas Ramos, James Lowe, Mack Hansen, Thibaud Flament, and Duhan van der Merwe (all tied with 3).
Only two of those – Penaud and Lowe – were also among the top try scorers in 2022, so it doesn’t necessarily follow that all of the above will be in the mix in ’24 (though you wouldn’t count against Penaud and Lowe continuing with their strike rate). THE STEADY MAN
‘Jacob’ was the only player to feature in the top 1000 on three occasions. That’s some serious, consistently high points-scoring. What’s his secret, we wonder? We’re picturing him in a room with spreadsheets and stats plastered across the wall, frantically making calculations on a blackboard as he tries to figure out who will be the contender for most 50:22s. Who are you, Jacob?!
THE CAPTAIN
Equally shrewd are those who chose their captains wisely for some boosted points. ‘Mpottz’ led in this regard with 195.1 points. The top scorers from each round, in chronological order, were: Duhan van der Merwe (89.8), Hugo Keenan (98.0), Mack Hansen (98.0), Mack Hansen (95.8), and Dan Sheehan (96.8).
If you chose to captain hooker Sheehan, you’re a genius.
THE SUPERSUB
We’ve detailed the rise of ‘the supersub’, and expect them to gain further prominence in 2024. ‘Periezmann’ accumulated 497.4 points with their shrewd choice of finishers/replacements/subs (delete where applicable) – a full 14.7 more than the next highest player.
The supersub sees their points tripled if they come off the bench, so some savvy thinking in this area can reap rewards for your team (think Ireland’s Jack Conan or France’s Romain Taofifenua, who are able to impress despite limited starting opportunities).
THE WALL
‘Wombat’ is a user who appreciates the more prosaic side of the game, having selected players who made the most amount of successful tackles in their team – racking up 926 points in the process.
Scotland prop Matt Fagerson made the most tackles in this year’s Championship, putting in one more than France lock Thibaud Flament’s 77. Impressively, centre Gäel Fickou (FRA) is only the back to feature in the top five with 65 tackles, while back rowers Josh van der Flier (IRE) and Charles Ollivon (FRA) tied on 61, with flanker Lewis Ludlam (ENG) completing the set with 60.
To find out about the 2024 edition of Fantasy Rugby, click here.
