On Saturday 2nd November the curtain will raise on the 2024 Autumn Nations Series, and over the following 4 weekends we will see the top international teams from both hemispheres take to the pitch to rekindle rivalries - with every game live on TNT Sports. Alongside the action on the field, the fantasy game will be live, and each round will bring different opportunities for fantasy points to be scored, so today we are looking at a round-by-round view to identify any opportunities to maximise your fantasy returns!
Firstly a reminder of the core rules of the game. Crucially to note, for this year’s game, you will only be able to select from the Guinness Men's Six Nations teams. Although they will be playing against teams such as New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and Fiji, the only players scoring points in this fantasy game are those from the Six Nations. You have a budget of 240 stars to build a squad of 15 starters and 1 player on your bench. 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. Finally, you can only select a maximum of 8 players from the same country.
The opening week of the Autumn Nations Series, Round 0, features two games, and with a limit of 8 players per nation and up to 16 players selectable (including your Supersub), you will need to select carefully across all 4 teams. As it happens, both matches could be quite evenly matched. Opening the Autumn Nations Series at the Allianz Stadium will be England v New Zealand. Both teams battled out a close 2 match Test Series in New Zealand in the summer with New Zealand closing out the win in both tests, 16-15 and 24-17 respectively. England will be hoping for home advantage to reverse this, but either way it should be another close battle with fantasy talent all over the park, particularly with the likes of Ben Earl, Marcus Smith and Ollie Lawrence likely to continue their great fantasy points scoring record for England.
In the second match, Scotland host Fiji at Murrayfield. Scotland will want to get their Autumn Nations Series campaign off to a winning start, but Fiji will be no pushover. They are just two places behind Scotland in the World Rankings and will be heading to the Autumn Nations Series off the back of winning the 2024 Pacific Nations Cup which included a thumping 41-17 win in the final v Japan. Duhan Van Der Merwe will rightly find himself in many a fantasy team, but also keep an eye out for Sione Tuipulotu, who has been in outstanding form for the Glasgow Warriors in the United Rugby Championship.
Moving into Round 1, and the first full weekend of matches with 6 games lined up. Round 1 kicks off on a Friday night with one of the games of the series, a replay of the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final between the current number 1 ranked team in the world, Ireland, and the world number 3, New Zealand. After their RWC exit at the hands of the All Blacks, Ireland will be looking to start the series off with a statement win, and from a fantasy perspective, the boot of Jack Crowley will be crucial.
Also on the card for Round 1 is one to keep a close eye on from a fantasy points perspective, France v Japan. This is the match with the largest difference in world rankings out of the entire Autumn Nations Series schedule, with France ranked 4th and Japan ranked 14th. Japan will be no pushovers, but in any case, this is the time to load up on Les Bleus, especially with Antoine Dupont returning to international action, and the likes of Damian Penaud, Mathieu Jalibert and Peato Mauvaka in outstanding club form in the Top 14.
Other Round 1 games to note include England v Australia, with Australia looking for an uptick in their fortunes after a crushingly disappointing Rugby Championship campaign that ended up with the Wallabies ending dead last with just 1 win in 6 (which included a historic 67-27 defeat to Argentina). Argentina themselves will be kicking off their Autumn Nations Series with a visit to Udine to face Italy. The Azzurri are on a high after a positive Six Nations that included 2 wins against Wales and Scotland, a draw against France and a narrow defeat by England. This match-up should be too close to call. The Springboks open their November campaign against Scotland at Murrayfield in a repeat of a Rugby World Cup pool stage match that saw South Africa emerge victorious. Finally, in another RWC pool stage rerun, Wales welcome Fiji to the Principality Stadium. From a fantasy perspective, Round 1 will likely result in maxing out your France player allocation and then getting an even balance across the other sides. Both Penaud and Dupont would be excellent captain choices.
Then on to Round 2, with another set of colossal clashes amongst the world's rugby elite. Standing out for Round 2 is France v New Zealand. Having most recently met in the epic Rugby World Cup opener (in which France came out on top with a 27-13 win), France will be looking to deliver another strong performance against the All Blacks in Paris. Preceding this will be a repeat of the RWC semi-final between England and South Africa. Always an attritional match-up, it may not generate the most fantasy points, but it will definitely deliver high drama!
The match that catches the eye in Round 2 from a fantasy perspective (and also the match with the biggest disparity in world rankings in Round 2) is Scotland v Portugal. The likes of Darcy Graham, Duhan van der Merwe and Finn Russell will be well backed in fantasy game, but if the Rugby World Cup taught us anything, the mighty Portugal are not to be underestimated. Just ask Fiji! This will be Portugal's only appearance in the 2024 Autumn Nations Series. Another team making their only Autumn Nations Series 2024 appearance in Round 2 are the reigning champions of the Rugby Europe Championship, Georgia. It's always a massive occasion when the Lelos take on a Six Nations team, and this year they head to Genoa to take on Italy. The final two matches from Round 2 pit two of the Six Nations against two of the Rugby Championship nations with Ireland v Argentina and Wales v Australia.
Round 3 is the final weekend with a full programme of 6 matches and the final round of the fantasy game. The standout games from a fantasy perspective are Ireland v Fiji and England v Japan. Expect plenty of attacking rugby with tries, defenders beaten, line breaks and big running metres. In Dublin, the likes of James Lowe, Hugo Keenan and Bundee Aki should all be well backed by fantasy managers. At Twickenham, Ben Earl, Marcus Smith, Ollie Lawrence and the electric Immanuel Feyi-Waboso will be ones to watch. Elsewhere, Italy v New Zealand may be a tough fantasy points-scoring experience for any Italian selections. The last time they met, which was in the Rugby World Cup pool stage, the All Blacks ran riot in an unreal 14-try 96-17 win. Italy have come a long way in the short time since, but this result will weigh heavy on their minds. Wrapping up Round 3 is France v Argentina, Wales v South Africa and Scotland v Australia, all of which should generate plenty of fantasy interest.
The Autumn Nations series concludes with one final match in Round 4, Ireland v Australia; however, a reminder that this match will not be considered against the overall fantasy scoring.
It all kicks off on the 2nd November, so sign up and get your team entered, and keep an eye out on the official Autumn Nations Series website for more fantasy insights in the lead-up to the Series start!
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