That means we'll soon discover who this year's fantasy winner is. So for the last time, let’s take a look at the big fantasy stories emerging after Round 4 to help you build a table-topping team for the final round…
The first point to cover this week must be the incredible form of Ben Earl. Prior to Round 4, Earl was one of the most consistent and high performing players of the tournament, scoring 24 points in Round 1, 46 points in Round 2, 31 points in Round 3. However, Earl took this to an even higher level in Round 4 with an incredible 72 points. Earl’s Round 4 haul is the highest individual total in a single round of any player in the tournament so far. He got there with a try, a breakdown steal, 12 tackles, 145m carried, 8 defenders beaten and a Player of the Match award.
Earl has beaten more defenders than any other player this tournament (20) and is second only to James Lowe for total metres carried (348m) - some incredible achievements for a forward. His form has not gone unnoticed by most fantasy players and he is one of the most highly-owned players in the game, but his captaincy selection was comparatively low. This may change in Round 5 given his consistency, and where he should be a very strong option to receive the armband in England’s huge clash against France in Lyon on Saturday night.
Moving to the Big 3 in the back 3: James Lowe, Damian Penaud and Duhan van der Merwe. It was a mixed bag for them in Round 4. Despite not scoring a try, Penaud recorded his best fantasy return of the tournament so far with 48 points. He may not have scored but he did everything else including 2 assists, 1 breakdown steal, 6 tackles, 8 defenders beaten and 131m carried. It was a welcome return to form and bodes well for his Round 5 match-up at home to England. Lowe was clinical with his two tries, but beyond those, his stats were slightly lower across the board than usual, resulting in a total fantasy score of 29 points. Finally, the most popular captain pick in Round 4 was Van der Merwe. Many were hoping for a repeat of his Round 3 heroics, however it was a tough afternoon for the Scottish winger against an inspired Italy. He was unable to score a try in Rome, but he still carried for 105m and beat 4 defenders. As we have seen over the course of the tournament, all three can deliver scores that justify their big price tags, but not necessarily every week.
Italy’s sensational win against Scotland was a landmark victory that came off the back of a very strong performance in Round 3. Historically, Italian players have generally been overlooked from a fantasy perspective. This year, though, there are multiple fantasy options to consider from the Azzurri. Multiple players have stood out in recent weeks, led by captain Michele Lamaro. His tackle stats are unsurpassed in this year’s tournament, in which he has made 82 tackles - which, for context, is 15 more than his closest rival, Dafydd Jenkins.
With 1 fantasy point per tackle and Lamaro averaging 20+ a match, he is a rich source of points. In the Centres, Juan Ignacio Brex and Tommaso Menoncello are forming a formidable combination. While Menoncello may be classified as a Back 3 player, he’s still delivering fantasy points from the Centre. In Round 4 he carried for 100m, beat 3 players, made 8 tackles and even recorded a breakdown steal. Brex, Menoncello’s partner in the Centres, was even more impressive, delivering a try, 12 tackles, 60m carried, a breakdown steal and a Player of the Match award. Both are worth investing your fantasy stars in. One Italian having a great breakthrough tournament is Ross Vintcent. He made some huge runs against Scotland and ended the match on 31 points after making 18 tackles, 3 defenders beaten and 71m carried.
Finally, you should not ignore Italy’s highest average scorer in the tournament so far, Paolo Garbisi. In his 4 appearances he has registered 8 successful kicks, 2 assists, 233m carried, 6 defenders beaten, averaging 26.3 points per game. There are fantasy riches to be found in the Italian ranks, and this should continue as they look to secure a 5th place finish in their final game against Wales.
Over to France, and their player of the match against Wales, Nolann Le Garrec. Le Garrec has waited patiently for a start, coming off the bench in his first 3 appearances in the 2024 Guinness Six Nations Championship, and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Before the tournament there was much excitement for Le Garrec, who has delivered some great attacking performances for Racing 92 this season both domestically and in Europe, including 10 tries in 16 appearances.
Le Garrec's first international start saw him continue this rich form with his first international try. He was awarded the Player of the Match and ended the game on 33 fantasy points, comfortably the highest individual fantasy score of any Scrum-Half in this year’s Championship. He looks to have secured the starting 9 spot for France for the foreseeable future, at least until the return of Antoine Dupont, and is a great value fantasy option.
Finally, once again, despite the result, both Tommy Reffell and Dafydd Jenkins delivered for their fantasy managers, both a picture of consistency throughout the tournament. Reffell continued to be the top breakdown stealer in the Championship, pilfering another 2 turnovers to take him to 8 in total for the whole tournament. Reffell is averaging a huge 31 points per game and is one of the safest fantasy selections on offer. He’s also on 64 tackles for the tournament, which is the third highest number behind only the aforementioned Lamaro, and his teammate and captain, Dafydd Jenkins.
Jenkins had another excellent performance in Round 4, scoring 34 fantasy points from the Back Row, and again has demonstrated that he is an excellent and cost effective fantasy option. Both should be in very strong consideration for fantasy selection in Round 5.
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