Round 1 suggests England and France should still form the spine of your team, but no other side should be underestimated, especially Scotland, who also impressed. Wales has a dream fantasy rugby back row that is well worth investing your stars in. Kickers did not return points to the level we were expecting and when it comes to Supersubs, it’s best to play it safe with a forward that is likely to gain plenty of minutes off the bench.
As always, my top bit of advice is to make sure you wait until the squads are announced before selecting your teams (you can use the helpful green flags by the players on the fantasy game interface to guide you), and also keep an eye on the Guinness Women’s Six Nations social channels for team news in case of any withdrawals, so stay alert and make sure you’re ready to make a switch if needed!
So, who to back in Round 2?
All three matches have big fantasy potential. First up we have Scotland v France at the Hive Stadium in Edinburgh. Attention then turns to Bristol, as England welcome Wales in Saturday’s final match. Round 2 then concludes on Sunday as Ireland take on Italy at the RDS.
France got off to a winning start against Ireland, but a stern test lies ahead as they face a buoyant Scotland team away from home. France’s top performer in Round 1 was Madoussou Fall, who brought in 34 points after a try-scoring Player of the Match performance, and you can expect more of the same from Fall in Round 2.
Pauline Bourdon Sansus was on her usual electric form with a try, an assist, 55m carried, 3 defenders beaten and a breakdown steal to top it off. An essential selection. Marine Ménager impressed despite only being on the field for 44 minutes, and her and her sister Romane recorded the highest number of metres carried each (129m and 116m respectively). Assia Khalfaoui was a big carrying threat from prop and is worth looking at again this weekend. Finally, Gabrielle Vernier may have had a quiet Round 1 by her standards, but don’t let that fool you: she’s absolutely box office and sooner or later she’ll bring in a massive score.
Scotland put in a huge shift in Cardiff to come away with big win against a side that many were backing for 3rd place. They will welcome France hoping for another win, and if they do, you can be sure that Evie Gallagher will be in the thick of the action. Gallagher made 14 tackles and contributed 2 breakdown steals as well as 54m carried and 3 defenders beaten. Coreen Grant is another name to consider for Round 2. She was Scotland’s top scorer with 50 fantasy points, in a game that gave her plenty of opportunity to demonstrate her blistering pace. Grant scored a try and carried for 132m and beat 5 defenders (as well as getting the Player of the Match award). Finally, the highest scoring fly-half in Round 1, Helen Nelson (pictured) would be a good investment once more for Round 2 - she was 4/4 from the kicking tee, carried well and also added a breakdown steal into the mix.
Over to Ashton Gate where Wales make the trip over the bridge to face an England side with many changes but no drop-off in serious quality. England weren’t firing on all cylinders in Round 1 and yet still came away with a 48-0 win. Ominous signs for the rest of the Championship.
One player who did fire in Round 1 and will likely go well again in Round 2 is Ellie Kildunne. Kildunne carried on her amazing PWR form, scoring 75 points in a performance that included 205m carried, 7 defenders beaten and 2 tries, as well as a Player of the Match bonus. She’s a safe captain selection in Round 2. Also likely to go well this weekend are her back three partners, Jess Breach and Abby Dow.
Shifting into the 10 shirt this weekend is Holly Aitchison, who impressed off the bench against Italy and should shine again as a starter this weekend. Marlie Packer marked her 100th cap with another international try and again is a very safe selection for Round 2. There are talents all over the England squad, so you will not be short of fantasy points wherever you look. Indeed, England are really worth looking at for Supersub options this week. McKenzie Carson and Connie Powell both impressed off the bench last week, while Sydney Gregson should also be of interest. Gregson has been in hot form in the PWR this season, scoring 6 tries, carrying for 1,154 metres over the course of the season (the second highest of any player in the league) and beaten 42 defenders in 11 appearances at outside centre.
Wales have a massive challenge on their hands against England, but in Alex Callender and Bethan Lewis they have two top-class operators in their back row who should register points no matter the opposition. In Round 1 they both recorded 19 tackles, and both topped the breakdown steal rankings (Lewis top with 3 and Callender joint-second with 2). Callender also scored a try to deliver a huge 40 fantasy points. Also worth factoring in could be Wales' second row, Georgia Evans, who came out all guns blazing as a sub against Scotland. Evans was Wales’s top tackler in 2023 with 69, and she should definitely be keeping the tackles coming against England. Sisilia Tuipulotu, another who got on the scoresheet against Scotland, could be a great Supersub option.
Finally to Sunday’s game where Ireland host Italy at the RDS Arena in Dublin. Ireland showed great progression from 2023 last weekend against France and they have already almost equalled their total try count from 2023 in just one match. Impressing for them as usual was Neve Jones, who was the top tackler in the entire tournament in 2023 and already leads the rankings again after Round 1 with a huge 23 tackles. Expect more of the same uncompromising approach from Jones in Round 2.
Elsewhere, Aoife Wafer impressed in a performance that included a try and 14 tackles. Additionally, both Brittany Hogan and Linda Djougang are strong selection options against Italy.
As for the Azzurre, they put in a strong showing against England, despite not getting on the scoresheet. Sara Tounesi remains a consistent and reliable option, racking up 11 tackles as well as 35m carried. Aura Muzzo and Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi looked threatening as well, and should have a bit more freedom against Ireland in Round 2.
Good luck, and make sure you don’t miss the first match deadline on Saturday afternoon!
Fantasy Rugby Geek's Top Picks for Round 2
Back three: Abby Dow (England), Ellie Kildunne (England), Kelly Arbey (France), Coreen Grant (Scotland)
Centre: Gabrielle Vernier (France), Marine Menager (France), Lina Queyroi (France)
Fly-half: Helen Nelson (Scotland), Holly Aitchison (England)
Scrum-half: Pauline Bourdon Sansus (France), Caity Mattinson (Scotland)
Back row: Marlie Packer (England), Alex Callender (Wales), Bethan Lewis (Wales), Evie Gallagher (Scotland)
Second row: Madoussou Fall (France), Georgia Evans (Wales), Sara Tounesi (taly)
Prop: Maud Muir (England), Assia Khalfaoui (France), Gwenllian Pyrs (Wales)
Hooker: Lana Skeldon (Scotland), Lark Atkin-Davies (England)
Supersub: Connie Powell (England), Sydney Gregson (England)
Captain Pick: Ellie Kildunne (England)
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