Mike Tindall knows just what it takes to beat France at Twickenham and is backing four England players to shine in Le Crunch on Saturday.
Tindall scored the game-clinching try back in 2007 as Brian Ashton’s side stopped French dreams of a Grand Slam with a 26-18 triumph.
Victory in Round 4 on that occasion gave England hope of an unlikely Championship triumph on the final day.
And Tindall is backing a quartet of stars to keep England in the hunt this time round, starting with debutant captain Ellis Genge, in his Fantasy team for Round 4.
Genge may be the most expensive prop in the game at 16.9 stars but it is no wonder that Tindall is backing the loosehead, with a try and assist in the opening three rounds.
He has also carried for 165 metres for an average of 55 per game and has been a lynchpin of the England defence with 17 tackles and one dominant hit.
On the other side of the front row is Scotland’s Zander Fagerson while Dan Sheehan takes the No.2 shirt in Tindall’s team on his return to the Ireland side.
A try-scorer in Round 2 against Italy, Ollie Chessum takes the first of the second-row spots alongside Thibaud Flament who has made a whopping 55 tackles so far this campaign, while also notching a try and one lineout steal.
A star-studded back row sees Player of the Tournament contender Caelan Doris take the No.8 spot.
Doris has made 205 metres for an average of 68.3 per game so far, while also registering three breakdown steals as well as a try and an assist.
Joining him in the back row is countryman Josh van der Flier and Jack Willis, whose value has rocketed from 9.7 stars to 12.9 stars after a succession of impressive displays which have seen him make three dominant tackles, two breakdown steals and cross the whitewash against Italy.
Unsurprisingly, Antoine Dupont takes the scrum-half berth having been selected in the Team of the Week for each round of the Championship so far.
Next to him is Marcus Smith, who completes the English representation in Tindall’s side.
Smith lit up Twickenham last weekend with a virtuoso Player of the Match display for Harlequins and Tindall is backing him to make the home of rugby his playground once again.
After a stunning start to the Championship with three tries in as many matches, Huw Jones starts in the centres.
Alongside him is Italy’s Juan Ignacio Brex, the cheapest name in Tindall’s side, who will be hoping to open his account for the Championship against an inexperienced Welsh midfield.
Also hoping to register in Rome is Edoardo Padovani, who famously scored the winning try in Italy’s previous meeting with Wales.
The sole Welsh representative in Tindall’s side is wing Rio Dyer. The 23-year-old is yet to score so far this term but has impressed with ball in hand, making 197 metres and three line-breaks from his two appearances.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>🔢 Have a go at our super simple <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/FantasyRugby?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#FantasyRugby</a> Pick 4 game this week ⬇️</p>— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) <a href=”https://twitter.com/SixNationsRugby/status/1634260332066512898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>March 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
Completing the side is Tindall’s captain, the in-form Hugo Keenan. The Ireland full-back has crossed twice for all-conquering Ireland and can count himself unlucky to have received just one Player of the Match award so far.
Louis Rees-Zammit is Tindall’s super sub this week, with Wales colleague Mason Grady and Scotland’s Jack Dempsey also among his replacements.
Mike Tindall’s Fantasy XV for Round 4: 15. Hugo Keenan, 14. Rio Dyer, 13. Juan Ignacio Brex, 12. Huw Jones, 11. Edoardo Padovani, 10. Marcus Smith, 9. Antoine Dupont, 1. Ellis Genge, 2. Dan Sheehan, 3. Zander Fagerson, 4. Ollie Chessum, 5. Thibaud Flament, 6. Josh van der Flier, 7. Jack Willis, 8. Caelan Doris
Replacements: Louis Rees-Zammit (super sub), Mason Grady, Jack Dempsey
