This may be the year that you leave your friends, family and team-mates in your wake in your mini leagues! With five rounds and 15 matches of action over the next seven weeks, it is critical that your Fantasy team gets off to a strong start. So with that in mind, here’s some pointers to get you off to a flyer!
First of all, a quick reminder of subtle changes in this year’s game. The first thing to note is that when it comes to scoring, there have been some slight alterations, points for tries are now split with 15 points awarded for forwards and 10 points for a back. An offload to hand is worth 2 points (The player will receive this if their supporting player is able to successfully catch the ball directly). In addition, all the team’s forwards on the pitch will get a point each when they win their own scrum. There is also a slight budget adjustment, with the total budget going down from 240 stars to 230 stars.
A reminder that the Supersub remains a huge differentiator that can make or break your team’s performance. With triple points on offer, a successful SuperSub pick can propel you to the very top! Selection of your SuperSub is all about how much of a risk you want to take. You could luck out if one of the starting XV needs to go off in the early stages of the game, but likewise you could be at the mercy of a coach who decides to leave his backs on the bench for most of the 80 minutes. So you have to play the percentages and consider the risks.
For me, the key areas to consider in a Supersub are…
Will they come on, and will they play a significant period of time? Often we see front rows and scrum halves switched early on in the second half. Hookers in particular, being good all-round fantasy scorers (and often on the end of a driving maul try), are a great option. Also take a look at previous games to see if there are any trends in how the team operates their replacements. Finally, is your prospective SuperSub the only option in their position? If a team is playing a 6-2 split on the bench for example, then that is probably a good time to select a utility back as they are far more likely to come on in time to make a decent impact.
So the big question: who to invest your 230 stars in for Round 1?
Opening proceedings on Friday night in Paris will be France v Wales. Wales start their Guinness Men’s Six Nations campaign in the midst of a 12-match losing streak and now find themselves facing a loaded France team that includes the Six Nations return of their captain Antoine Dupont. France will be a very popular destination for fantasy players in this round.
Leading FRANCE in terms of fantasy options is their full back and kicker, Thomas Ramos. Ramos is a threat to deliver points from tries, metres carried, defenders beaten and goals kicked. Ramos topped the points scored at the 2023 and 2024 Six Nations. His kicking is an edge that lifts him past other fantasy options in the Back Three. Despite not scoring a try all tournament, Thomas Ramos scored the highest number of fantasy points, more than Damian Penaud, James Lowe and even the joint top tryscorer Duhan van der Merwe.
Another popular option in the Back Three and an excellent captain pick is Louis Bielle-Biarrey. He had an outstanding Autumn, kicking off with an impressive Player of The Match performance against Japan that resulted in 68 fantasy points, he went on to score 4 tries, carry for 227 metres and beat 12 defenders over the course of the campaign. With 7 tries in 9 matches for Union Bordeaux Bègles in the Top 14 this season, he’s in hot form. Antoine Dupont made his return to the France team in the Autumn like he’d never been away. Comfortably the highest scoring Scrum Half in the ANS fantasy game, with an average score almost double of his nearest challenger in the Scrum Half position. A true outlier in his position, he’s an
important fantasy pick despite his price. The French squad is simply stacked with fantasy options, with the likes of Peato Mauvaka, Emmanuel Meafou, Paul Boudehent and Gregory Alldritt and going to be popular picks. Don’t rule them out for supersub options either; Julian Marchand is always a try threat and will likely get plenty of gametime, Oscar Jegou has been in good tryscoring form for La Rochelle this season and Emilien Gailleton will likely cover multiple back line positions.
WALES are likely to encounter a difficult night in Paris, but that is not a reason to rule them out of fantasy contention. Their forwards are likely to encounter plenty of defensive work, and so they have some good fantasy options in their pack. Starting with their captain Jac Morgan, who is an industrious tackler and an exceptionally hard worker across the field. In just 7 URC appearances this season he has a try, 123m carried, 14 defenders beaten, 7 turnovers won, 112 tackles and 6 offloads. Having missed the entire 2024 Guinness Men’s Six Nations, the Wales skipper will be itching to get into the action. Also joining him in the back row is James Botham and Aaron Wainwright. Both will have to get through a huge defensive volume and will be steadily accruing the fantasy points on Friday night. Finally, Will Rowlands in the second row is another player who has historically made a huge volume of tackles, and you can expect more of the same for Round 1.
The action on Saturday kicks off with Scotland v Italy in Edinburgh. Italy had a great 2024 Six Nations campaign with two wins (including a 31-29 win over Scotland) and a draw, and they will be looking to build on that in 2025. Nonetheless, Scotland continue to impress, and despite losing their captain Sione Tuipulotu to injury they will still be expecting to get their 2025 campaign off to a winning start.
Scotland have announced a loaded squad, even without Tuipulotu. One big selection decision will be whether managers go with Duhan van der Merwe or Darcy Graham. They are in a race for the record Scottish try scorer, with Van Der Merwe on 30 international tries and Graham on 29. Although in the Six Nations, Van Der Merwe has the upper hand with 14 tries compared to Graham’s 7 tries. There is a 3 star price difference between the two with Van Der Merwe on 19 stars and Graham on 16 stars, so some tough selection decisions are to be made. Elsewhere, Scotland have the electric Huw Jones, who was one of the top scoring Centres in both the 2024 M6N and the 2024 ANS.
Finn Russell as always is good for kicking points, assists and 50-22’s, but the price tag is also huge at 20 stars. One big value option to flag is Stafford McDowall at Inside Centre, available for a bargain 8 stars! Off the bench, Scotland have some great Supersub options with Ewan Ashman, Jack Dempsey, Tom Jordan and Kyle Rowe.
ITALY have announced a strong XV capable of delivering of the fantasy points. The Back 3 of Ange Capuozzo, Monty Ioane and Tommaso Allan are all strong runners capable of tries, defenders beaten and metres carried (Allan has also some kicking potential, being preferred on occasions in the past to Paolo Garbisi to take the kicks). They also have 2024’s top tackler, Michele Lamaro, who made 103 tackles over the course of the 2024 M6N, 24 more than his closest rival, Dafydd Jenkins, on 79 tackles. In the Centres, Itally have the dream team of Tommaso Menoncello and Juan Ignacio Brex. Menoncello is a versatile option who is equally comfortable playing wing or centre, he has been in hot form throughout the last 12 months. He followed up his 2024 Six Nations player of the tournament award with a great Autumn where he was the second highest fantasy scoring Centre for the Autumn Nations Series fantasy game with 110 points in just 3 games. Brex played every minute of Italy's 2023 and 2024 Six Nations campaign, and in 2024 Brex once again got on the scoresheet in Italy's 2024 campaign, and recorded TWO player of the match awards.
The final game of the round sees England visit the Aviva Stadium to take on the reigning champions Ireland. Last year England beat Ireland 23-22 and with a very strong match day squad, they will be looking to spring another shock. However, with Ireland pushing for a historic Six Nations three-peat, it would take a brave person to look past an Ireland win on home soil.
Ireland have named a squad with plenty of fantasy favourites. They have one player who is a true outlier in his position: Tadhg Beirne. In the 2024 Six Nations, Beirne was the highest scoring Second Row by a considerable margin, where he averaged 28.8 points per game. He outscored his closest second row challenger, Dafydd Jenkins by over 10 points per game. Beirne ranked number 1 amongst second rows for metres carried (159m), lineout steals (3), breakdown steals (2) and tries (2), as well as 2nd for defenders beaten (6). In the back row, Josh Van Der Flier and Caelan Doris are ever reliable points scorers.
Van der Flier had a stellar autumn campaign for Ireland, which translated to big fantasy points (behind only Ben Earl for the highest fantasy scoring back row in the ANS). Van der Flier was a consistent points scorer throughout, with his lowest score still being a highly respectable 32 points in Round 3 against Fiji. At the heart of Van Der Flier’s high scores were his two tries over the course of the Series, but beyond the tries, he delivered several industrious performances, with 45 tackles, a breakdown steal, and offload and 135 metres carried. In the back line, James Lowe and Bundee Aki are always guaranteed high fantasy points scorers (albeit at a high price point). One great value option Ireland have however is Sam Prendergast at just 12 stars. Prendergast has received the nod at 10 over Jack Crowley and is an outstanding kicker and is a bargain route into the Ireland back line. Finally, one to note is that the 2024 joint top tryscorer, Dan Sheehan, is now back after injury and finds himself on the bench. Sheehan is a premium supersub option, but with a premium price tag to boot.
ENGLAND have named an exciting squad for their visit to Ireland. They may not be favourites to win, but they have a team with elite fantasy talent, including the highest fantasy points scorer from the 2024 M6N, Ben Earl, and the highest fantasy points scorer from the 2024 ANS, Marcus Smith. In the 2024 Six Nations, Earl beat the most defenders of any forward (24), and carried for 419 metres, scored 2 tries and made 63 tackles. Smith delivered in every round of the Autumn, including 48 points against New Zealand, 50 points against Australia, 34 points against South Africa and 43 points against Japan. In the English back line, keep an eye out for Freddie Steward, available for just 12 stars, he’s been in outstanding form in the Premiership and Champions Cup this season, and has really progressed his attacking game.
Also representing value in the back line is Cadan Murley at just 10 stars. At club level for Harlequins, this season has seen Murley in top form with 10 tries in just 12 appearances. Finally, a great supersub option for England is Tom Willis, also available for 10 stars. While he has just one England cap to his name, Willis has been immense for Saracens in Premiership Rugby this season. In just 8 starts Willis has carried this season for 530 metres, scored 3 tries, made 2 try assists, beaten 51 defenders, won 8 turnovers, made 135 tackles and made 15 offloads. A bargain off the bench!
Good luck, and make sure you don’t miss the first match deadline on Friday night!
Fantasy Rugby Geek top picks for Round 1
Back Three: Duhan Van Der Merwe (Scotland), Louis Bielle-Biarrey (France), Thomas Ramos (France), Darcy Graham (Scotland)
Centre: Huw Jones (Scotland), Stafford McDowall (Scotland), Bundee Aki (Ireland)
Fly-half: Finn Russell (Scotland), Marcus Smith (England)
Scrum-half: Antoine Dupont (France), Ben White (Scotland)
Back-row: Ben Earl (England), Caelan Doris (Ireland), Gregory Alldritt (France), Jac Morgan (Wales)
Second row: Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), Emmanuel Meafou (France), Alexandre Roumat (France)
Prop: Pierre Schoeman (Scotland), Andrew Porter (Ireland), Jean-Baptiste Gros (France)
Hooker: Peato Mauvaka (France), Ronan Kelleher (Ireland)
