That means it’s time to dust off the stats, study the player prices and get tinkering! Between now and that opener between England and New Zealand on Saturday 2nd November, it's your chance to to tweak, strategise and start building a fantasy team featuring the elite of the north and the big guns from the south.
Who will you pick to guarantee victory against your friends, family, teammates, work colleagues, and the many other experts taking part from all over the globe?
In this guide, we'll provide all the details to help you navigate this year’s game, whether you're a Fantasy Rugby newbie or a seasoned veteran.
A quick overview of the core rules of the game (which will be very familiar if you played the Men’s or Women’s Six Nations game): You have a budget of 240 stars to build a squad of 15 starters and 1 bench player. You can select any player named in the ANS squads; however, each player has a different price (based on the player's reputation and likely performance in the game), so you need to manage your budget wisely and work to identify value players.
Your team must consist of 3 back-three players, 2 centres, 1 fly-half, 1 scrum-half, 3 back rows, 2 second-rows, 2 props, and 1 hooker; while your bench player can be from any position. It is important to note that you can only select a maximum of 4 players from the same country (with the exception of in Round 4, where you will be able to select 8 players from either side). The auto-pick function is available if you want a quick team before tinkering.
For each round, you'll have two bonus chips: Captain and Supersub. The Captain's points are doubled, while the Supersub's points are TREBLED, but you must select a player starting on the bench. If you choose a starter as Supersub, you'll only get half their points. There are strategies around the Supersub selection, which we'll explore later!
Points are awarded for a variety of Attacking actions and Defensive actions. From an attacking perspective, points are awarded for Tries (15 pts for forwards and 10 pts for a back – a tweak from the Six Nations games), Try assists (4 pts), Try conversion (2 pts), Penalty kick (3 pts), Drop goal (5 pts), Defenders beaten (2 pts), Carried metres (1 pt per 10m made), and 50-22 kicks (7 pts). While on the defensive side, points are awarded for Tackles (1 pt), Breakdown steals (5 pts), and Lineout steals (7 pts).
You will also need to be careful if you have players prone to disciplinary issues, as there are points deductions in place for conceded penalties (-1 pt), yellow cards (-5 pts), and red cards (-8 pts).
There are a couple of new scoring metrics for the 2024 Autumn Nations Series game. Firstly, an offload to hand is worth 2 points (the player will receive this if their supporting player is able to successfully catch the ball directly). In addition, all the teams' forwards on the pitch will get a point each when they win their own scrum. Finally, there is a massive 15 points on offer for the Official Player of the Match, so choose carefully.
The tournament will run over 5 rounds. This will start with Week 0, which will consist of two matches, England v New Zealand and Scotland v Fiji both on Saturday 2nd November. Weeks 1 to 3 will then follow with six matches each week. The Autumn Nations Series fantasy game will then conclude on Saturday 30th November (Week 4) with one final match, Ireland v Australia.
Some great prizes are on offer in this year’s tournament. For finishing 1st overall, the winner will take home 2 tickets for a 2025 Autumn Nations Series game, a one-year subscription to TNT Sports, 1 ANS Rugby Ball and a £200 voucher on Fanatics.com. For those in 2nd and 3rd place, they will each win a one-year subscription to TNT Sports.
For Week 1 and Week 3 there will be an additional random draw with an Autumn Nations Series Rugby ball and a £100 voucher on Fanatics.com on offer. In order to be eligible for this prize, simply make your team for Week 1 and Week 3!
The social aspect is one of the best parts of Fantasy Rugby, and you can play with friends by setting up or joining a league (go to the 'Leagues' tab). Your team in the general league and private leagues will be the same, but you can also create "For Fun" private leagues with personalised budgets and player limits (though these are ineligible for prizes). Also, keep an eye out for the Presenters Leagues, as a £100 voucher on Fanatics.com will be awarded if you win any of these leagues.
With all these amazing prizes up for grabs, getting off to a strong start is crucial. Here are five essential tips to help you set up your team and give yourself the best chance of success from the get-go:
1) First and foremost, it’s vital that you don’t finalise your team until all the official starting lineups are announced. Drafting and playing around with potential lineups ahead of the tournament is definitely a good idea, as it helps you familiarise yourself with the player pool and their prices. But don’t lock in your final selections until you have confirmation of who’s starting and who’s on the bench. Icons next to each player will tell you their status—whether they’re a starter, a sub, or not even in the matchday squad. Keep an eye on this, and remember that injuries can happen between the lineup announcements and kick-off, so stay vigilant and be ready to make last-minute changes if needed.
2) Next, don’t be afraid to go all out with transfers. Autumn Nations Series Fantasy Rugby 2024 allows unlimited transfers between rounds, with no points penalties. This gives you the freedom to fully optimise your team for each round—so if you feel like making 15 changes in one go, just go ahead!
3) Since ANS Fantasy Rugby 2024 operates under a salary cap system, managing your budget carefully is key. A crucial thing to note is that player values fluctuate throughout the tournament based on their popularity. You can increase your team’s overall value as the tournament progresses. This can be particularly helpful in the final stages, so be smart with your transfers. If you suspect a player’s value is going to drop—whether due to injury or a loss of form—don’t hesitate to trade them out and capitalise on rising player values. Play the market: each player's value adjusts based on their real-world performance, so you'll either gain or lose based on your decisions.
4) When it comes to kickers, this game doesn’t limit you to selecting one designated kicker to score points from penalties, conversions, or drop goals. So, if you can find players outside the usual kicking positions (Thomas Ramos for example), they can be extremely valuable as they’ll rack up kicking points in addition to their usual contributions.
5) Finally, develop a solid strategy for your Supersub, as it can be a game-changer when played well. There’s often an element of luck, like when a starting player gets injured early, but you could also be unlucky if a coach decides to leave certain players on the bench for the entire game. Consider the risks and make informed choices.
In my experience, there are three key factors to weigh when selecting a Supersub:
1) Will they actually get on the pitch, and for a decent amount of time? Front-rowers like props and hookers, as well as scrum-halves, tend to sub in between the 45th and 60th minutes, so they usually get good game time (and hookers often have a good chance of scoring from the back of a driving maul). Meanwhile, locks and loose forwards are more likely to play the full 80 minutes, but if they’re benched, they’re often not kept out of action for long. Fly-halves can be a bit more unpredictable—sometimes they’ll come on early if the game plan isn’t working, but they might also be left out completely. Back-three players and centres can be even more of a wildcard.
2) Look for trends in how teams rotate their players. Studying previous matches can give you insight into whether a particular player is likely to get on and make an impact.
3) Consider whether your potential Supersub is the only player on the bench for their position. For instance, if a team is running a 6-2 split on the bench, picking a versatile back is often a safe bet since they’re more likely to get a decent chunk of game time. Good luck, and with triple points on the line, a well-chosen Supersub can catapult you to the top of the leaderboard.
In the lead-up and throughout the tournament, the Fantasy Rugby Geek will be providing tips and insights to help you grow your fantasy scores throughout the tournament, so keep an eye on the Autumn Nations Series website and social channels throughout for more news.
You can follow The Fantasy Rugby Geek on X or visit fantasyrugbygeek.com and play in the Fantasy Rugby Geek League.
