With a whirlwind Round 1 behind us, and with some fantasy teams flying high, others in tatters (even though you were sure that this was your year!), and maybe some who never selected a team (it’s not too late!), it’s time to pick ourselves up and focus on Round 2.
Looking at Round 1, what did we learn? Back Rows seem to be the richest source of points and could be a good place to find your captain (and find some bargains, with 50% of all Back Row players in Round 1 scoring 20 points or more!), with Back 3 players close behind. The big high-volume tacklers are huge value for your fantasy team to keep the points ticking over. Finally, when it comes to supersub, the forwards are still the safest bet for your selection.
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 Six Nations social channels for team news in case of any late withdrawals. Stay alert and make sure you’re ready to make a switch if needed!
So, who to back in Round 2?
This week we have two matches on the Saturday: Italy v Wales, followed by England v France. Then on Sunday, Scotland and Ireland wrap up proceedings in Edinburgh.
Running through the likely fantasy candidates from each match, starting with Italy v Wales.
Wales had another tough experience in Round 1 with their visit to Paris resulting in a 43-0 loss that extended their losing run to now 13 test matches. They visit Rome in Round 2 to face an Italy side that will feel disappointed by their performance in their opening round loss against Scotland. Italy will want to make amends in a match which may already decide who will end the tournament in 6th place. Italy have named a very strong starting XV and they will be a popular source of fantasy points in Round 2.
Italy’s star Centre pairing of Tommaso Menoncello and Juan Ignacio Brex remain two of the most reliable fantasy options in the game, and again they impressed in Round 1. Menoncello was Italy’s highest scorer against Scotland with 39 points courtesy of 100 metres carried, 15 tackles, 1 breakdown steal, 3 defenders beaten and an offload. Brex also delivered 27 points, much of which stemmed from a glorious 60 metre intercept try. Both should be high on the fantasy shopping list this week.
Elsewhere, Italy’s forwards continue to impress with their high defensive performance. The top tackler in the 2024 Six Nations, Michele Lamaro, brought more of his trademark intensity into Round 1 with 20 tackles, and you can expect more of the same in Round 2. Most impressive though in the Italian pack was Sebastian Negri who carried for 48 metres and made a huge 26 tackles. At 13 stars he is great value for Round 2. Tommaso Allan is another value pick worth targeting in Round 2. The Italian Full Back is categorised as a Fly Half and was also Italy’s first choice kicker, and at 11.4 stars, he is excellent value.
Finally, both Ange Capuozzo and Monty Ioane had uncharacteristically quiet days against Scotland and will be hoping for a bit more joy against Wales. Italy’s bench presents a great supersub option in Ross Vintcent, who will be itching for a bit more time off the bench on Saturday to showcase his lightning pace.
Wales may have been on the receiving end of a 43-0 loss in Round 1, but there were no shortage of strong performances that provide fantasy food for thought in Round 2. Likely to be a fixture in many a fantasy team for the remainder of the Six Nations is Wales captain, Jac Morgan. Morgan put in a huge volume of work in Round 1, carrying for 121 metres, beating 3 defenders, making an offload and making a huge 21 tackles, resulting in 49 fantasy points. You can expect more of the same in Round 2, and he could be a strong captain pick.
Wales tend to get through a high volume of defensive work, so they have various members of their pack who can be relied on to deliver high tackle points. Two candidates to consider here are Dafydd Jenkins and Will Rowlands. Jenkins was the second highest tackler in the 2024 Six Nations behind only Michele Lamaro, and again in Round 1 he delivered, making 24 tackles and earning 35 fantasy points. Rowlands is a bit cheaper than Jenkins, but also made 17 tackles in Round 1 and also carried for 43 metres. Both are well worth considering in Round 2.
The second match on Saturday is at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham where England host France. France were rampant in Round 1, and have been boosted further by the return of Damian Penaud. England enter Round 2 off the back of a loss to Ireland which had some positives to consider, but in France, things don’t get any easier for England. Steve Borthwick has made a few big changes in what should be a fascinating match-up.
England have named an interesting lineup with a sprinkling of changes and a big tactical shift. Jumping out is a first start in an England shirt for arguably the Premiership player of the season so far, Tom Willis. Willis is available for 10 stars and in just 8 starts for Saracens this season, Willis has carried for 530 metres, scored 3 tries, made 2 try assists, beaten 51 defenders, won 8 turnovers, made 135 tackles and made 15 offloads. The stage is set for a big performance.
Also worth monitoring is Marcus Smith, who has shifted back to 15 to accommodate Fin Smith at 10. Marcus Smith is likely to retain kicking duties and could potentially gain extra attacking and carrying opportunities from the full back position. Last season’s Premiership top tryscorer and one of the stars of the Autumn, Ollie Sleightholme, returns to the England squad and is great value at 13.7 stars. Finally, one of the stars of Round 1, Tom Curry, remains in the squad after an outstanding performance that put him firmly at the top of the Breakdown Steals rankings. All should be strongly considered.
France will enter Round 2 on a high after the opening week, and they will be buoyed by the return of Damian Penaud. Prior to the short-term injury that kept him out of Round 1, in his last two games for Union Bordeaux Bègles in January, Penaud has scored a total of NINE tries, carried for 351 metres, made 4 try assists, made 12 line breaks, beat 12 defenders and made 4 offloads. While he had subdued 2024 Six Nations by his lofty standards, with just 1 try to his name, he still finished the tournament with the highest number of defenders beaten of any player in the Championship with 27, made 3 try assists and carried for a huge 420 metres. It would be a big risk not to consider him in Round 2.
France have plenty of great fantasy options in hot form. Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Thomas Ramos make up the Back 3 and both looked dangerous in Round 1, with LBB causing havoc for the Welsh back line. Gregory Alldritt was the highest scoring player in Round 1 with a huge 71 point haul courtesy of a Player of the Match performance that included a try, 90 metres carried, 2 defenders beaten, 1 offload and 18 tackles. He’s always been a big carrier, and now seems to be hitting form at just the right time. Antoine Dupont will be hoping for a longer run than his 49 minute performance last week, in which he looked his imperious best in a performance that included 3 assists. In addition, Peato Mauvaka, Emmanuel Meafou and Paul Boudehent are strong fantasy differential options.
Finally, Round 2 closes on Sunday with Scotland v Ireland at Scottish Gas Murrayfield. Both teams are coming into Round 2 off the back of a Round 1 win and will want to keep the momentum going. Reigning Champions Ireland will be pushing hard to keep their drive towards achieving a historic three-peat, and have named another strong line-up full of fantasy talents.
For Scotland, Huw Jones has been the picture of consistency on the fantasy game, consistently a high scorer in both the Six Nations and Autumn Nations Series games, and once again he delivered in Round 1. Jones ended up with a hat trick of tries and was behind only Gregory Alldritt in total fantasy points. Rory Darge was a dynamo in the Back Row in Round 1, delivering in attack (53 metres carried, 2 defenders beaten, 3 offloads and a try) and in defence (12 tackles). He is growing in importance to Scotland and will be in the thick of the action against Ireland.
The ever-dangerous Darcy Graham was again causing damage against Italy with a huge 11 defenders beaten and 122 metres carried. He’ll be a reliable differential pick in Round 2. Despite a big task on their plate against Ireland, all three are worth fantasy consideration.
Round 1 saw the return from a serious ACL injury of the joint top tryscorer of the 2024 Six Nations, Dan Sheehan. He sent his supersub backers into raptures with a brilliant try scoring performance, and having scored 2 tries on his first game back at club level as well, he firmly looks back to his best. Despite his performance in Round 1, he’s still on the bench, presenting another excellent supersub opportunity. Also looking back to his best is James Lowe, who didn’t get on the try sheet in Round 1, but did just about everything else, and was everywhere on the pitch. Carrying for 167 metres, beating 3 defenders and making 3 assists, it’s surely only a matter of time before he’s back on the scoresheet.
As an alternative at Scrum Half to Antoine Dupont, Jamison Gibson-Park impressed in a Player of the Match performance, and at 3.4 stars cheaper, could be worth considering if you have maxed out your French allocation or if you need a cheaper alternative to Dupont. In the Back Row, both Caelan Doris and Josh Van Der Flier had quieter performances than to their usual high standards, and they are still strongly worth considering in Round 2.
Good luck, and make sure you don’t miss the first match deadline on Saturday!
Fantasy Rugby Geek top picks for Round 2
Back Three: Louis Bielle-Biarrey (France), Thomas Ramos (France), Damian Penaud (France), James Lowe (Ireland)
Centre: Huw Jones (Scotland), Tommaso Menoncello (Italy), Bundee Aki (Ireland)
Fly-half: Tommaso Allan (Italy), Marcus Smith (England)
Scrum-half: Antoine Dupont (France), Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland)
Back-row: Tom Willis (England), Jac Morgan (Wales), Gregory Alldritt (France), Sebastian Negri (Italy)
Second row: Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), Will Rowlands (Wales), Jonny Gray (Scotland)
Prop: Andrew Porter (Ireland), Danilo Fischetti (Italy), Jean-Baptiste Gros (France)
Hooker: Peato Mauvaka (France), Giacomo Nicotera (Italy)
Supersub: Dan Sheehan (Ireland), Jack Conan (Ireland)
Captain Pick: Damian Penaud (France)
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