We have another full round of 6 matches so plenty of fantasy talent to choose from, but before we look at the teams, an important point to flag. Last week’s late withdrawal of Damian Penaud demonstrated the importance of monitoring team news all the way until kick-off. Frequently there will be late changes, so stay alert to team news and make changes if necessary. You can change players all the way up until their respective match kicks off so even if there is a late team update, you can accommodate them in your team.
So now it’s time to look at which players to back in Round 2. Round 2 kicks off on Friday night with Ireland v Argentina. This is followed by 3 matches on Saturday; Scotland v Portugal, England v South Africa and France v New Zealand. Round 1 then wraps up on Sunday with Italy v Georgia and Wales v Australia.
First up on Friday night will be Ireland v Argentina. Ireland had a chastening Round 1 with a 23-13 defeat to New Zealand, while Argentina will be on a high after a convincing 50-18 win over Italy in Udine. This will not be a straightforward win for previous world number one team by any means. Ireland nonetheless have plenty of fantasy talent to consider for selection as always. Starting with their top scorer from Round 1, Josh van der Flier, who not only scored a try against the All Blacks, but also carried for 25 metres, made 12 tackles, won 5 scrums and made an offload. With 15 points available for tries scored by forwards, Van der Flier is always a high scoring threat. Also delivering fantasy value in the pack is Caelan Doris, James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne, Andrew Porter and Joe McCarthy. Finally, while James Lowe had a quiet game by his standards against New Zealand, he still recorded a 50-22 and is always a try-scoring danger, so don’t expect another low fantasy score again for the rest of the Autumn Nations Series.
Moving on to Saturday and the day kicks off with the match with the biggest difference in world rankings (so naturally a game that fantasy managers will be paying close attention to), where world ranked number six, Scotland, face world ranked number 15, Portugal. Portugal will definitely be no pushover however: they demonstrated their capabilities in the Rugby World Cup, most noticeably with their famous 24-23 win over Fiji in the pool stage. While some of the heroes of their Rugby World Cup campaign are not in the 23 for Saturday, they will still provide a stern test to Scotland.
Scotland however have talents capable of a fantasy haul throughout their squad, starting with their star of the opening round, Darcy Graham. A reminder of his stats against Fiji: four tries, 88 metres carried, 7 defenders beaten, 83 fantasy points earned. This is a great opportunity for him to stretch past Duhan van der Merwe in the Scottish try-scoring record race, and he will be a strong captain pick for many. Another player who has impressed in both Scotland games so far is Tom Jordan. The versatile back saw plenty of ball against South Africa and will likely see plenty of attacking opportunities against Portugal. Note that he is categorised in the game as a Fly-Half, as this is where he regularly lines up for Glasgow Warriors. Another player who impressed against Fiji was Adam Hastings. He masterfully pulled the strings that day, and you can expect more of the same against Portugal. Other names in form at club level, and looking to make a big impact on the international stage are Arron Reed, Ben Muncaster, Alex Craig and Stafford McDowall, all of whom could be big fantasy scorers this weekend. Finally when it comes to Supersub, many eyes will be on Johnny Matthews. Matthews will be making just his 2nd international appearance but his club tryscoring record is the stuff of legend. For Glasgow he scored 13 tries in 19 appearances in 22/23, 16 tries in 24 appearances in 23/24 and already four tries in seven appearances this season.
Onwards to London and the visit of the world champions, South Africa, to the Allianz Stadium. This is a repeat of the epic Rugby World Cup 2023 semi-final in which the Springboks narrowly defeated England 16-15. England have had a very tough start with two back-to-back defeats to New Zealand and then Australia. While they will be underdogs for this, they still have players that it is well worth considering for your fantasy teams. Firstly, Marcus Smith, who, despite being on the losing side again, delivered a fantasy masterclass with a 50 point performance against Australia. This comes off the back of his 48 point haul against New Zealand. Regardless of the opposition, Smith’s style of play is tailor-made for the fantasy game scoring. Also impressing against Australia was Chandler Cunningham-South. Valued at just 13.9 stars, Cunningham-South scored two tries, carried for 58 metres, made 18 tackles and also had an offload, leading to 56 fantasy points. Alongside Cunningham-South in the pack, both Ben Earl and Maro Itoje have been consistent high scoring fantasy players, and in a game where much will be decided by the pack, they could be strong fantasy options in Round 2.
One of the true standout matches for Round 2 takes place on Saturday night in Paris, 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. France were in rampant form against Japan in Round 1, and while New Zealand will undeniably be tougher opposition, many of the top performers from Round 1 will require serious consideration for Round 2. One name who always delivers regardless of the opposition is France’s captain and talisman, Antoine Dupont. Dupont breezed back into international rugby with a 46 point fantasy performance that included 98 metres carried, eight defenders beaten, two assists, five tackles and one breakdown steal. In a match that will likely be a closely matched affair, kicking will play a major part, and against Japan, Thomas Ramos demonstrated his world-class kicking ability, as well as his all-round game that included an offload, an assist, a 50-22 and a breakdown steal. He will be at the crux of France’s attack again for New Zealand. In the pack, both Peato Mauvaka and Gregory Alldritt were at the heart of France’s attack and defence and will again be in the thick of things this weekend. Finally, while he is unlikely to enjoy the same freedom he had against Japan, Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s hot form should not be ignored this weekend.
Making their only Autumn Nations Series 2024 appearance in Round 2 will be 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. Italy themselves will need to pick themselves up after an extremely tough opening fixture against Argentina. If they are to turn things around then you can bet that at the centre of the action will be the Guinness Men’s Six Nations Player of the Championship, Tommaso Menoncello. As usual Menoncello delivered in attack and defence, carrying for 106 metres, beating 9 defenders and making 14 tackles, delivering 41 fantasy points in the process. Also impressing in attack, and likely to do so again against Georgia, was Monty Ioane. Ioane carried for 98 metres, beat 5 defenders and made two offloads for good measure. The formidable Georgia pack may limit the points created by the Italy forwards, but there is big fantasy scoring potential in their backs.
Closing the weekend out is Wales v Australia from Cardiff. Two teams who could not have had more differing outcomes from Round 1, Australia coming out on top after an epic tussle with England and Wales who suffered a defeat at the hands of Fiji to bring them to a 10 match streak of consecutive losses. Wales will have an uphill battle if the round 1 performances are anything to go by, however, there are still players that should make an impact from a fantasy perspective. Wales’s captain Dewi Lake is one such option. He’s been in great form in the URC this season and he put in a great shift for the Fiji game, in just 45 minutes on the field he carried for 39 metres, beat a defender, made an offload and made 14 tackles. You can expect another busy performance against Australia. Cam Winnett is quietly becoming one of the most consistent fantasy scorers in the game, bringing in 36 points courtesy of 100 metres carried, seven defenders beaten, two offloads and two try assists. Finally, Blair Murray continued his excellent try scoring form from the URC, with a try scoring performance on his debut. If anyone has watched Scarlets this season, they will know that there will be more to come. With regards supersub, while he had a disappointing game against Fiji by his very high standards, Tommy Reffell will be a great selection off the bench, especially if he can get in one or two of his trademark breakdown steals.
Good luck, and make sure you don’t miss the first match deadline on Friday night!
Fantasy Rugby Geek's Top picks for Round 2
Back Three: Darcy Graham (Scotland), Monty Ioane (Italy), Arron Reed (Scotland), James Lowe (Ireland)
Centre: Tommaso Menoncello (Italy), Stafford McDowall (Scotland), Juan Ignacio Brex (Italy)
Fly-half: Adam Hastings (Scotland), Tom Jordan (Scotland)
Scrum-half: Antoine Dupont (France), George Horne (Scotland)
Back row: Ben Earl (England), Caelan Doris (Ireland), Ben Muncaster (Scotland), Josh Van Der Flier (Ireland)
Second row: Alex Craig (Scotland), Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), Joe McCarthy (Ireland)
Prop: Andrew Porter (Ireland), Ellis Genge (England), Danilo Fischetti (Italy)
Hooker: Patrick Harrison (Scotland), Ronan Kelleher (Ireland)
Supersub: Johnny Matthews (Scotland), Kyle Rowe (Scotland)
Captain Pick: Darcy Graham (Scotland)
*Please note that the above selections are based on the positions that players are categorised as in the game
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