Round 1 of the Guinness Six Nations has passed, and fantasy managers’ thoughts are already looking ahead at Round 2.
Ireland host France in a mouth-watering potential title decider in Dublin after the world’s top two sides got their campaigns off to winning starts in Round 1.
Scotland will then look to back up their mightily impressive win over England with victory over Wales at BT Murrayfield to put themselves in contention for the title, while on Sunday, England and Italy do battle at Twickenham, with both sides hoping to bounce back from narrow defeats a week ago.
And ahead of such a bumper weekend of action, we have an early look at the transfers you need to make to get ahead of your friends and family.
DUHAN CAN BE THE MAN AGAIN
Much of the reaction from Scotland’s historic win at Twickenham surrounded one man – winger Duhan van der Merwe, who lit up proceedings in the capital with two breath-taking tries.
Those tries alone are enough for Van der Merwe to be considered for selection this weekend, who at 17.3 stars represents incredibly good value for a winger who has already amassed 16 tries in 24 Test matches.
His power has always been apparent, weighing in at 105kg, but that power, combined with his pace and underrated agility is what allowed him to score one of the great all-time Guinness Six Nations tries at Twickenham on Saturday.
He returns to Edinburgh a hero on Saturday, when Scotland look to finally turn one great performance into two against Wales.
The last time Van der Merwe enjoyed a full Championship, he went on to be top scorer with five tries in 2021 – starting with a match-winning try at Twickenham.
History may not repeat itself, but if you do not already own Van der Merwe, he should be right at the top of your shopping list.
DORIS SET TO CAUSE CARNAGE IN DUBLIN
Ireland’s performance was largely underrated when they methodically beat Wales in Cardiff, mainly due to people expecting them to win as world number one and how quickly they raced into the lead.
Caelan Doris’ try after just one minute put Ireland in complete control, and it set the tone, not just for Ireland to cruise to their first Championship win in Cardiff for a decade, but also for Doris himself.
The No.8 was at the very top of his game, outstanding in defence and carrying extremely well – in a very good Ireland team, he stood out.
His try was worth the most in terms of fantasy points but expecting a No.8 even of his calibre to score every week is unattainable, the rest of his stats, however, are not – 45 metres made from 11 carries, 18 tackles (one dominant) and a turnover won – these are stats that he produces every week.
Reigning champions France come to town this week, but Doris is in such good form that you could go as far as saying he is fixture proof and certainly worth the premium slot in the back row at 17.2 stars.
CAPUOZZO CAN CAUSE ENGLAND PROBLEMS
Another man who was all over social media this weekend was Italy winger Ange Capuozzo after his tremendous try against France at the weekend.
Capuozzo was one that slipped under the radar in terms of fantasy due to the nature of the opposition, but after his try in Rome on Sunday, he has put himself firmly at the forefront of everyone’s mind.
This week he comes up against an England side at Twickenham that missed no fewer than 26 tackles last weekend, including five on the way to Van der Merwe’s spectacular score, and there are very few players in the world who can exploit a defensive weakness as well as Italy’s full-back.
England’s kicking game was another area of contention at Twickenham, and if they do not fix that up against this exciting, free spirited Italian back line, there could be alarm bells ringing – no more so than when Capuozzo has his hands on the ball.
Back three slots are going to be tricky to narrow down to three, with so many catching the eye in Round 1, but Capuozzo has surely done enough over the past 12 months to prove these special moments are no fluke, and there is more to come from the 23-year-old.
Costing just 15.2 stars, he would possibly even allow you to target other areas with premiums, and after Sunday’s showing, he will no doubt reward you too.
