The Championship is back for the final stretch and it’s time to perfect your Guinness Six Nations Fantasy Rugby team ahead of Round Four.
As injuries start to hit and players fall in and out of favour with their coaches, it’s important to be on top of the latest news and update your teams accordingly.
With that in mind, we’ve picked out five backs – one in each position – who could give your team the edge this weekend.
Not exactly a surprise name – given the fact he’s the second-highest scorer to date in Guinness Six Nations Fantasy Rugby – but Blair Kinghorn still represents great value and is a must-have at fly-half.
He’s already racked up an incredible 186 points in the first three rounds and with Stuart Hogg’s injury meaning he’s set to start at full-back against Wales this weekend, he’ll have the opportunity to accrue many more.
His Round One hat-trick was scintillating while back-three players always rack up the points in metres made (315 so far for Kinghorn) and defenders beaten (14), so the fact he’s in the game as a fly-half makes him a can’t-miss selection.
Even better, priced at 15 stars – he’s still a cheaper option for your team’s No.10 jersey than Owen Farrell, Johnny Sexton or Dan Biggar.
Scotland’s formidable home record also means Saturday’s game against Wales at BT Murrayfield should be another chance for the explosive Kinghorn to shine.
A world-class centre and an incredible attacking threat, if Garry Ringrose shakes off the hamstring injury that has sidelined him since the Round One loss to England, then he represents great value for your fantasy team.
All indications coming out of the Ireland camp suggest he should be ready to go for the clash with France in Dublin on Sunday and while he’s not guaranteed to start at outside centre ahead of Chris Farrell, Ringrose’s upside makes him worth monitoring.
Wait until Joe Schmidt names his team at 1.45pm on Friday before slotting the Leinsterman in but if he does make the starting XV, then he’ll be looking to add to his six tries in 18 international appearances.
The 24-year-old was a key cog as Ireland clinched the Grand Slam last year, as well as during their brilliant autumn, so his return would be a real boost for the Irish and could mean fantasy points for you.
One of France’s trio of exciting young backs – along with Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack – that shone in the victory over Scotland in Round Three, Thomas Ramos offers perhaps the greatest fantasy value of the threesome.
The full-back notched a very handy 57.26 points in that triumph at the Stade de France – the tenth-highest score of any player int he round, regardless of position – and has now carried for 110 metres in this year’s Championship, while beating nine defenders.
Perhaps most importantly, he is entrusted with kicking duties for France and while he wasn’t perfect from the tee against Scotland, it should provide a consistent source of points moving forward.
He also represents unbelievable value at just 11.6 stars, with Mike Brown and Luca Sperandio the only full-backs in the game who are cheaper and neither of those two have played even a minute in the 2019 Guinness Six Nations.
A slightly riskier proposition than many of the names above but the potential for huge points that Joe Cokanasiga provides means he is someone to keep a very close eye on.
The three other wingers Eddie Jones has used in this year’s Championship – Jonny May, Chris Ashton and Jack Nowell – have all been impressive at various points but Ashton wasn’t in England’s 27-man training squad and Nowell is battling an injury.
The door appears to be open for Cokanasiga and waht an alternative he would be.
The powerhouse winger has an ability to make defenders bounce off him as he barrels through tackles and was brilliant in his first two international games against Japan and Australia in the autumn, scoring tries in both.
He made a brief cameo off the bench at Principality Stadium last time out and while Italian defenders won’t want to see Big Joe bearing down on them at Twickenham in Round Four, he would be a welcome addition to your fantasy team.
Italy produced their best performance of this year’s Guinness Six Nations in Round Three and were unfortunate not to record a victory over Ireland – leading 16-12 at half-time before eventually going down 26-16 in Rome.
Perhaps their biggest bright spot was scrum-half Tito Tebaldi – making his first appearance in the Championship since 2014 and giving them a spark that caused Ireland serious jitters.
Tebaldi was slated to start against Scotland in Round One before getting injured in the warm-up and on his return, he masterfully directed the Azzurri pack and got the back-line purring.
The 67 metres he made and three defenders he beat speaks to his threat with ball in hand and his steal from Connor Murray to start the move from which Luca Morisi scored was sublime, even if not worth any fantasy points.
He should start again in Round Four after impressing so much and at just 9.7 stars there is no cheaper starting scrum-half in the game. Tebaldi could prove the point of difference you need to win your mini-league.
