So sit back as we guide you through the top fantasy picks for round three of the 2024 Guinness Women’s Six Nations.
What did we learn from round two? As always, having the Player of the Match in your team is a surefire way to reach the top of the fantasy rankings. Again, the likes of Ellie Kildunne, Romane Menager and Aoife Wafer delivered; quickly moving themselves into 'first names on the teamsheet' territory. We also saw that the top-scoring positions seem to be in the back row, second row and back three positions, so this is where you should be investing your stars and looking for your captain and supersub options (although for supersub, maybe avoid the back three given their inconsistent playing time).
It's also well worth digging into the stats from Championship so far; whether it’s the top try-scorer and carrier in Ellie Kildunne (four tries and 317m carried so far) or the leader of the breakdown steals, Evie Gallagher (five), there are fantasy options all over the teams. And if you know your history, there are also great options this week, including Chloe Rollie, the only player to have scored more than one try against England in the last four years, crossing the line in each of her last two Championship games against the Red Roses.
Supersub Marlie Packer also has a great history in Scotland v England matches: no player has scored as many tries against a single opponent thank Packer has against Scotland (seven). Finally, in Ireland’s game against Wales, Beibhinn Parsons (who already has the equal highest number of defenders beaten this season) will be looking to build on her great form against Wales. No player has beaten more defenders against them than Ireland's Parsons (21) - her tally of 12 v Wales in 2021 was the second most by any player in a single Championship game this decade.
All three matches have big fantasy potential. First up we have Scotland v England at the Hive Stadium in Edinburgh. Attention then turns to Cork, as Ireland welcome Wales in Saturday’s final match. Round three concludes on Sunday as France take on Italy at the Stade Jean-Bouin in Paris.
Looking at England, who take their unbeaten record to Edinburgh. The first name on the teamsheet for many players will be the aforementioned Kildunne, with her four tries, 317m carried and eight defenders beaten so far. Few would bet against her to have another big game on Saturday. Her back three partners Abby Dow and Jess Breach are worth considering too. While neither has matched Kildunne’s scoring exploits so far, on their day, they are capable of generating a huge points haul.
England’s back line is stacked with talent and Tatyana Heard, Meg Jones and Holly Aitchison could all rack up the fantasy points. In the forwards, Rosie Galligan will again be looking to deliver a big score. In round two (where she was player of the match), Galligan recorded 18 tackles, two lineout steals and one try and scored a massive 57 points.
Elsewhere in the pack, Alex Matthews, Sadia Kabeya, Hannah Botterman and Amy Cokayne are all worth a punt. When it comes to the supersub selection, there are two very strong options this week that can be found from England: Connie Powell, who has been an excellent option in both rounds so far, and Marlie Packer, who finds herself on the bench this week, raising the enticing prospect of triple Packer points.
Hosts Scotland will definitely have their hands full with the Red Roses, but they have had a good tournament so far and in their team they have ample talents capable of making a big fantasy return. Their top fantasy performer so far has been Evie Gallagher, who has averaged 32 points per game and has five breakdown steals, 22 tackles and 98 carried metres to her name. Also going well is Helen Nelson, and if she gets some shots with the boot this weekend then she’ll likely start building a strong fantasy score. Returning for round three will be the prolific try-scorer Lana Skeldon and the flying fullback Rollie. The latter in particular has an excellent record against England and with her starting spot back should go well again.
Second up on Saturday is Ireland v Wales. With both teams looking to secure their first win, a huge encounter lies ahead. Ireland’s team has some great options who have scored well from a fantasy perspective this year. Their top scorer, Aoife Wafer, lines up again in the back row and should deliver again. So far in the 2024 Championship she has scored a try, made three breakdown steals, carried for 153 metres, beaten seven defenders and made 23 tackles. A great value option. Despite not scoring a try as yet, Beibhinn Parsons has been in hot form and a should get plenty of options against Wales, against whom she has an excellent record. Up front, Neve Jones will rack up the tackles as usual and could potentially get on the scoresheet again like she did against Italy in the last round.
Sam Monaghan put in an astonishing performance against Italy and is a must-pick again. Against the Azzurre she carried for a massive 150m and if she can do similar against Wales, she is one of the best second row options in the game. If you are looking for an alternative option for a supersub, Cliodhna Moloney returns to the Ireland squad this weekend. She’s been outstanding so far this season in the PWR and will be looking to bring that form to the Guinness Women’s Six Nations.
Wales have put in two strong performances but have yet to come away with a win, so they will be pushing for a change of fortunes against Ireland. If this is to happen, then you can be sure that their back row triumvirate of Alex Callender, Bethan Lewis and Alisha Butchers will be at the heart of it. Callender had another outstanding game in round two, gaining 26 fantasy points against England with 81m carried, 13 tackles and a breakdown steal. Also likely to go well against Ireland will be scrum-half Keira Bevan, who is fresh off the back of a try-scoring cameo from the bench against England and will likely get a good number of opportunities with the kicking tee. Another player just returning to the starting line-up against Ireland and likely to make a fantasy impact is Sisilia Tuipulotu. The prop has an outstanding try-scoring record and will be well placed to add to that tally this weekend.
In Sunday’s match, France host Italy and will be looking to continue their unbeaten streak in this year’s Championship. Romane Menager put in a Player of the Match performance in round two and is one of the top performers overall in the fantasy game. Over the first two matches, she has the equal highest number of defenders beaten, 246m carried (the highest of any forward) and 23 tackles made and is a great option. France have several other excellent fantasy options, including Madoussou Fall (Player of the match in round one), Pauline Bourdon Sansus (comfortably the highest-scoring scrum-half in the game), Lina Queyroi (the top-scoring kicker in the tournament), as well as Assia Khalfaoui and Marine Menager. Also worth a mention is Gabrielle Vernier, who has yet to really hit the highs that she achieved in the 2023 Championship but is due a big haul any match now.
And last but not least, Italy will be looking to bounce from their excellent victory away in Ireland to take a huge win in France. Finding her way into many fantasy teams will be the top scorer from round two, Vittoria Vecchin, who scored a huge 68 points last time out thanks to her two tries, one breakdown steal, 51m carried, three defenders beaten and 18 tackles. She was unsurprisingly awarded Player of the Match in round two and is a great option this round.
Taking on kicking duties after the injury to Michela Sillari in round one is Beatrice Rigoni. The mercurial centre is capable of magic and with the kicking points added to her other attacking qualities, she’s a great shout. In the forwards, both Sara Tounesi and Isabella Locatelli offer strong attacking and defensive qualities and are always consistent fantasy scorers.
Good luck, and make sure you don’t miss the first match deadline on Saturday afternoon!
Fantasy Rugby Geek top picks for round three
Back Three: Abby Dow (England), Ellie Kildunne (England), Beibhinn Parsons (Ireland), Chloe Rollie (Scotland)
Centre: Gabrielle Vernier (France), Marine Menager (France), Lina Queyroi (France)
Fly-half: Dannah O'Brien (Ireland), Holly Aitchison (England)
Scrum-half: Pauline Bourdon Sansus (France), Keira Bevan (Wales)
Back row: Alex Matthews (England), Alex Callender (Wales), Aoife Wafer (Ireland), Romane Menager (France)
Second row: Madoussou Fall (France), Rosie Galligan (England), Sam Monaghan (Ireland)
Prop: Hannah Botterman (England), Assia Khalfaoui (France), Sisilia Tuipulotu (Wales)
Hooker: Neve Jones (Ireland), Amy Cokayne (England)
Supersub: Connie Powell (England), Marlie Packer (England)
Captain Pick: Ellie Kildunne (England)
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