A reminder that Round 3 will be the final week of the Autumn Nations Series fantasy game. Next week’s match between Ireland v Australia will not count towards the scoring, so this is your last week and last chance to take a march up the rankings, so it’s time to make some big decisions and take a few gambles!
So which players to back in Round 3? Round 3 kicks off on Friday night with France v Argentina. This is followed by three matches on Saturday; Ireland v Fiji, Wales v South Africa and Italy v New Zealand. Round 3 then wraps up on Sunday with Scotland v Australia and England v Japan.
France v Argentina
Opening proceedings on Friday night will be France v Argentina. Two of the most impressive teams so far should put on a big show in Paris. Argentina dispatched Italy in their opening match with a 50–18 victory and ran Ireland extremely close in Dublin in Round 2, narrowly losing 22–19.
France have also been operating at an extremely high level, securing a 52–12 win over Japan in Round 1 and a hugely impressive 30–29 victory over New Zealand in Round 2. This should be a closely fought affair, but regardless of the opposition, France have been racking up fantasy points.
Their top player so far has been Mr Consistency, Thomas Ramos. Averaging 56 points a game, Ramos has been exemplary with his kicking but has also been delivering both in terms of attacking and defensive responsibilities, making 3 try assists, carrying for 100 metres, making 23 tackles and also getting a 50-22 and a breakdown steal over the course of the 2 matches he’s played.
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When it comes to fantasy captain options from France, Ramos is a safe bet to double your points. Another likely fantasy standout is their captain, Antoine Dupont. Dupont is the highest-scoring scrum-half in the game, averaging 32 points per match—a full 14 points higher than his closest rivals, Ben White, Martin Page-Relo, and George Horne, who have all averaged 18 points per game.
Louis Bielle-Biarrey has also been a consistent high performer in the fantasy game, averaging 48.5 points per match. Although France have made a few changes to their starting XV this week, Peato Mauvaka, Paul Boudehent, and Charles Ollivon should all be in contention for fantasy selection.
Ireland v Fiji
Kicking the action off on Saturday is Ireland v Fiji, two teams who have had a mixed experience in the Autumn Nations Series so far with a win and a loss each. Fiji kicked off their Autumn with a 57-17 defeat to Scotland but turned things around against Wales with a 24-19 victory, while Ireland opened to a 23-13 loss and then ground out a win against Argentina. Many will be expecting Ireland to make a big impression, and they certainly have plenty of players capable of delivering a big fantasy score.
Firstly, in the back 3, many will look to Mack Hansen to deliver the points. He got on the scoresheet against Argentina, and is always a major threat looking for work all over the back line. He would be my top fantasy captain choice from Ireland. Jacob Stockdale is also restored to the Ireland starting XV, he has delivered on many occasions in an Ireland shirt and could be an outstanding differential pick for Round 3.
Moving down the back line, Bundee Aki is back in after sitting out Round 2 and has a long history of delivering high fantasy returns. Moving into the pack, and Josh Van Der Flier will again be at the forefront of many fantasy teams. He put in a huge performance against Argentina that included 24 tackles and delivered 41 fantasy points.
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In the pack they also have proven fantasy scorers in Caelan Doris, Tadhg Beirne and Joe McCarthy. Keep an eye out for debutant Cormac Izuchukwu, who is in the game as a Second Row, but will line up as a Blindside Flanker. In just two starts in the URC this season for Ulster, he has a try, 30 tackles and 4 offloads. A great value differential.
Wales v South Africa
Wales’s miserable 2024 shows no signs of improving as they face the world's number one ranked team, South Africa. The Springboks will look to complete a clean sweep of wins on their Northern Hemisphere tour after victories over Scotland and England. Meanwhile, Wales will be searching for any positives following a crushing 52–20 defeat to Australia that extended their losing streak to 11 matches.
Wales are unlikely to be the first choice for many fantasy managers this week, but they still have players worth considering, especially in the back row, who will undoubtedly work hard against South Africa.
Leading the way will be Jac Morgan. Morgan scored 51 fantasy points against Australia in Round 2, primarily as result of his huge tackle count (27 in total, more than any other player in Round 2). You can expect more of the same in Round 3.
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Also starting in the back row are two other players, who have both accumulated high fantasy scores so far this autumn, Taine Plumtree and James Botham. Plumtree was Wales’s highest scoring forward in Round 1 (again due to his high tackle count), and Botham was behind only Morgan in fantasy points in Round 2, with 37 points following 17 tackles, 50 metres carried, 3 defenders beaten and a try assist.
If you are looking to Wales for a differential pick in Round 3, then the Back Row is where you should focus your attention!
Italy v New Zealand
Also facing an uphill battle in Round 3 is Italy, who take on New Zealand. 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.
New Zealand will be entering this game with a point to prove after their tight loss to France last week. Much like the Wales game, there are probably better fantasy options in the other games, but nonetheless, the likes of Tommaso Menoncello, Dino Lamb, Ross Vintcent and Sebastian Negri always tend to bring big fantasy points value.
Scotland v Australia
Sunday’s action begins with an intriguing encounter between Scotland and Australia. Both teams are in good form, with Scotland recording dominant wins over Georgia and Fiji, and Australia enjoying back-to-back victories over England and Wales.
Scotland have named a much changed side compared to the side that defeated Georgia last week. In returns Huw Jones, one of the players of the tournament so far. The Scotland Centre has averaged 47 points a game and has carried for 248 metres in total, has 3 offloads, 11 defenders beaten and 2 try assists. Scotland also have two huge attacking threats in their back-three in Darcy Graham and Duhan Van Der Merwe. Both have accumulated tries, metres and defenders beaten and will be a constant threat to the Australian defence.
Finally, a rich source of points for Scotland in their Autumn Nations Series campaign has been in their back row. Lining up on Sunday is Rory Darge, Matt Fagerson and Jamie Ritchie. Darge and Fagerson in particular have been outstanding in defence, recording 35 and 32 tackles respectively, and once again you can expect all-action performances from them to deliver the fantasy points.
England v Japan
Wrapping up the round is a match with one of the largest differences in World Ranking in this Round when the World number 7, England, host the World number 13, Japan. England have lost all 3 games so far in the Autumn Nations Series against New Zealand, Australia and South Africa and will be looking for a statement victory against Japan.
Likely to be at the forefronts of the actions will be Marcus Smith. Scoring 48 fantasy points against New Zealand, 50 fantasy points against Australia and 34 against South Africa, Smith has the all-court game that consistently generates fantasy points. Whether it’s his ability with ball in hand, his unerring accuracy with the boot or his ability to unlock defences and put a team-mate through in for a try, his actions always lead to fantasy points.
Also delivering in every appearance this Autumn is Ollie Sleightholme. With 3 tries in his last two games, he’ll surely be at the forefront of England’s attack against Japan, and is marginally ahead of Smith as my favoured captain for England this weekend. Don’t rule out big scores either from his back-three counterparts in Tommy Freeman and George Furbank, both of whom could easily haul. This could also be the game that Ollie Lawrence breaks free and shows his outstanding club form at international level.
In the pack, Maro Itoje, Ben Earl and Sam Underhill have all been consistently scoring well in the fantasy game, and off the bench, Chandler Cunningham-South and Luke Cowan-Dickie are standout supersub options.
Good luck, and make sure you don’t miss the first match deadline on Friday night!
Fantasy Rugby Geek's top picks for Round 3
Back Three: Thomas Ramos (France), Mack Hansen (Ireland), Ollie Sleightholme (England), Tommy Freeman (England)
Centre: Bundee Aki (Ireland), Ollie Lawrence (England), Huw Jones (Scotland)
Fly-half: Marcus Smith (England), Sam Prendergast (Ireland)
Scrum half: Antoine Dupont (France), Craig Casey (Ireland)
Back-row: Josh Van Der Flier (Ireland), Ben Earl (England), Charles Ollivon (France), Caelan Doris (Ireland)
Second row: Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), Cormac Izuchukwu (Ireland), Joe McCarthy (Ireland)
Prop: Andrew Porter (Ireland), Ellis Genge (England), Pierre Schoeman (Scotland)
Hooker: Peato Mauvaka (France), Gus McCarthy (Ireland)
Supersub: Chandler Cunningham-South (England), Luke Cowan-Dickie (England)
Captain Pick: Ollie Sleightholme (England)
*Please note that the above selections are based on the positions that players are categorised as in the game*
