The final fallow week of this year’s Championship is almost over, and that means it’s time to sort out your Fantasy Rugby team ahead of a massive final two rounds of action.
The 2020 Guinness Six Nations has so far provided thrills, great skills and plenty of drama, but has it provided you with lots of Fantasy Rugby points too?
Whether your team has struggled and you’re now looking to salvage some pride or it has been a star showing and you’re eyeing up prizes, we can help.
We’ve crunched the numbers, analysed the stats, and assessed what is making certain Fantasy Rugby assets tick – below are five key trends to keep an eye on which could boost your team’s output.
Get your Fantasy Rugby team sorted ahead of Round 4!
Bank on French flair
They may have missed out on a fixture in Round 3, but France will be back raring to go for their trip to England followed by a home clash with Wales over the next two weekends.
Two blockbuster clashes certainly, but also two games which represent big chances for Fantasy Rugby points from Fabien Galthié’s troops.
Nowhere is that more possible than with France’s embarrassment of attacking riches among their ranks.
Three of the five most expensive players in the game are French, and it’s little wonder why with Antoine Dupont, Gregory Alldritt and Teddy Thomas all having delivered well over 100 points each so far this Championship.
France have scored 65 points and nine tries in just two games and their creativity has so far lit up the Championship.
Even with tougher tests to come, you can expect neither England nor Wales to sit back against France and so there will be plenty of opportunities for Fantasy Rugby points from Galthié’s cast of attacking dynamos.
Hogg providing bang for your buck
Scotland’s strong run of form ended in Round 2, but once again captain Stuart Hogg was at his menacing best.
With an average of 86.1 points per game, the full-back is simply a must-have asset – having scored two tries this Championship, made a staggering 254 metres and earned one Guinness Player of the Match award.
Win, lose or draw, Hogg is delivering for his team and his Fantasy Rugby owners and it is time to jump on the bandwagon if you have stood firm to now.
Welsh away days can reap benefits
Away victories – and their increased value for Fantasy Rugby points – are precious.
So far five of the eight contests have been won by away sides, pointing not only to strong travelling form in this year’s Championship but also the potential for more to come.
Unbeaten Wales are the only side who have two away fixtures to come in the final two rounds, and they’ve already provided one away win this Championship – against Scotland in Round 2.
Pair an on-form team with the potential for increased points output and you’ve got a big chance of Fantasy Rugby success.
Round 4 sees Wales travel to Italy before a potential Championship decider with France to finish – neither easy games but both providing the potential for 18 points per victory for every Welsh player you have.
Get carried away with the Irish
Away from the try scoring and tackle making, another key to Fantasy Rugby success is picking the right ball carriers.
After all, 0.3 points are awarded for every carried metre and it is Ireland who are leading the way in this respect.
James Lowe (352), Hugo Keenan (316) and Garry Ringrose (300) all feature in the top five most metres made in the Championship so far.
And this is contributing to big Fantasy Rugby points with all three having amassed well in excess of 150 points each.
If you’re looking to inject some fresh life into your team you could do a lot worse than add one of those Irish ball carriers.
Welsh Supersubs leading the way
Don’t neglect your Supersub.
It can be easy to just focus on the starting XV but some of the world’s leading Fantasy Rugby players have seen big points hauls thanks to those they leave on the bench, and their triple-scoring Supersub in particular.
In this regard, it appears that Wales assets are the best way to go with the top-ranked player in the game, Jonny Mac, seeing scores of 114.3 from Callum Sheedy in Round 3 and 126.9 from Josh Navidi in Round 1 thanks to their star showings off the bench.
Wales have only led once so far at half time and are particularly strong in the second 40 minutes, so having a Welsh replacement on your bench could well pay dividends.
