It is that time of the week again, where fantasy managers across the land must make their last-minute decisions and none are more key to a good round than captaincy.
Double points for your chosen player can make the difference not just this week between your family and friends, but in the long run too, as we advance towards the halfway point of the 2023 Guinness Six Nations.
And as ever with such a critical decision to be made, we have compiled a shortlist to hopefully point you in the right direction to choosing your Round 3 captain.
Guinness Six Nations Fantasy Rugby Round 3 Team Selection: Fantasy Rugby Geek
Hugo Keenan (Ireland – Back Three – 18.9 stars)
Keenan has been one of the star performers so far this Championship, with a Player of the Match performance in Round 1, followed by an excellent try in Round 2.
One of the things that really makes him stand out though is his consistency, as Keenan has now shown ever since making his debut three years ago, both for club and country.
No player has made more metres than Ireland’s full-back in the opening rounds of the Championship, with his 292 metres dwarfing Duhan van der Merwe’s 254.
His try shows the lines he can run, while he also nailed a 50:22, showing he really does have it all in attack.
This week he faces an Italy side, who despite being significantly more robust in defence than in previous seasons, have struggled against Ireland in recent years, and have conceded over 50 points in two of the previous three matches between the two sides.
Keenan can certainly be involved in scoring points again, whether that be creating, making line-breaks, or scoring and he should definitely be a strong contender to take the arm band this week.
Finn Russell (Scotland – Fly-Half- 19.1 stars)
Scotland’s Finn Russell has been at the very peak of his powers so far this Championship, playing a massive role in Gregor Townsend’s side making history as the first Scotland team to win their opening two matches in the Six Nations era.
Another with a Player of the Match award in the bank after the opening rounds for his outrageous three assists in Scotland’s 35-7 win over Wales, Russell is now the second most expensive player in the game, behind only Antoine Dupont.
He tops the try assist charts, has more metres than any other fly-half and has 19 tackles to his name (joint-most among fly-halves).
Russell is capable of things that arguably no other player in the Championship can do, but probably the most reliable asset he has is his goal-kicking.
Scotland’s fly-half has now nailed five conversions and three penalties, clocking up two and five points each respectively and also has a 50:22 (10 points) to his name.
He does face the challenge of a visit to France, but the form he is in, partnered with Scotland looking a genuine threat going forward, makes it likely that even against Shaun Edwards’ defence, Scotland could still score points, and if they do, Russell will be involved in some way.
Thomas Ramos (France – Back Three – 15.7 stars)
Scotland’s opponents are packed with players who are captaincy options for this weekend, but once again Ramos is the one that just has the edge due to his goal-kicking.
The only player in the whole of the Guinness Six Nations this year who has scored a try, a conversion, a penalty and a drop goal and those have all amounted to very decent points indeed.
Ramos’ value has soared, rising from 14.9 stars to 15.7 stars from the end of Round 1 to the end of Round 2, but that still feels like really good value for a player who is pretty much guaranteed to score you points.
France could only penetrate the Ireland try-line once, but Ramos, with three penalties, a conversion, and a drop goal, as well as important metres made, still scored 45 fantasy points.
Scotland is expected to be another tough game, and with that Ramos will be on kicking duty again.
Points will come for the France full-back, and that again makes him a good option for captaincy.
