Round 5 of the 2023 Guinness Six Nations is now just around the corner with this year’s edition of Super Saturday sure to provide plenty of drama.
The action all begins at 12:30 when Scotland welcome Italy to BT Murrayfield, with Gregor Townsend’s side looking to seal third place for the first time since 2018, while Kieran Crowley searches for his first win of the Championship.
Then all attention will turn to Paris where France look to put down their marker for an outside chance at defending their title after their historic 53-10 victory over England last week.
They must win to have any chance of the title, and realistically win with a bonus point, unless Ireland claim nothing in their match against England.
Andy Farrell’s men know that a win seals them the title, the Triple Crown and the Grand Slam, but they will also know that England will be looking to bounce back from a harrowing defeat at Twickenham.
All to play for in the Championship then, and all to play for in Guinness Six Nations Fantasy Rugby 2023 and we have picked out three players you must have in your teams for Round 5.
SLICK SIONE CAN HURT ITALY AND PLAY CREATOR IN ABSENCE OF RUSSELL
Much of the focus on Scotland has been on Huw Jones in recent weeks and rightly so as the leading try scorer in the Championship, but his centre partner Sione Tuipulotu has gone hugely under the radar.
Tuipulotu has been a consistently excellent performer across the Championship so far and sits only behind Finn Russell for most assists with three.
What is remarkable is that all three assists have come for a Jones try, with slick passes against France and Ireland responsible and a wonderful chip kick against England – the Glasgow Warriors pair are in tandem.
Russell’s absence is a blow for Scotland against the Azzurri, there is no doubt, but Tuipulotu can be the difference and lay on Jones once again, with Blair Kinghorn and Ben Healy both likely to be on the pitch as creators, in the absence of both Finn Russell and Stuart Hogg.
Tuipulotu has proven this Championship though that he is far more than just a creator, with 224 metres made from 33 carries showing he is an effective carrier himself, while he has made 44 tackles (the second most at centre behind Gaël Fickou).
He will be a hugely important player for Scotland as they look to finish strongly after disappointing back-to-back defeats to Ireland and France and could go alongside Jones in the centres in your fantasy team.
Both players still seem hugely under-priced at 13 stars and 15.4 stars respectively and could lead to serious points in the final week.
OUTRAGEOUS OLLIVON THE PICK OF FRENCH BACK ROWERS
There was very little mention of Charles Ollivon heading into Round 4, with Anthony Jelonch’s ACL injury the talk of France’s back row.
But the France flanker was back to his very best at Twickenham, scoring two tries as Les Bleus finally ended their 18-year search for a Championship win at HQ.
Ollivon’s double drew him level with French teammates Damian Penaud, Thibaud Flament and Thomas Ramos on three tries, just one behind leading scorer Jones.
This is not new for Ollivon, who was top try scorer in the 2020 Championship, while he now has 12 tries in 32 France caps, a formidable strike rate for a back row.
Tries are worth 15 points each in the fantasy game and therefore take centre stage when analysing a player, but Ollivon has been exceptional on the other side of the ball too, with 52 tackles ranking him as seventh top tackler across the Championship, while he ranks fourth among back row forwards.
He has also won two turnovers, while his presence at the lineout makes him a candidate for lineout steals, of which he already has one this Championship.
At 17.1 stars, he comes at a price, but he is certainly a player that can deliver the points in Round 5.
MAGIC MACK CAN WIN BATTLE FOR TOP TRY SCORER
On the subject of those competing for top try scorer, Ireland winger Mack Hansen has joined teammates James Lowe and Hugo Keenan in competing for the gong after three tries in two games against Italy and Scotland.
A brace in Rome got him underway after a quieter opening three matches compared to Lowe and Keenan, before an incredible finish at BT Murrayfield put him within one of Jones at the top of the try scoring standings.
Those performances away from home also came with Player of the Match awards, earning him an extra 15 points to add to his already sizeable totals.
In total, Hansen racked up 98 and 95.8 points in his last two matches in the fantasy game, which in turn saw his price rise to 19.3 stars.
With the form he is in though, and his impressive ability to win turnovers, making four so far to rank him joint top in that category, Hansen could actually be the one in the Ireland back three to select for their Grand Slam decider, despite Lowe’s three tries and two assists so far this Championship.
Hansen has the ability to score big points in sharp bursts, and it would not be at all surprising if he is once again a big contender this weekend.
