Welcome to our latest instalment of our weekly pre-match updates for the 2022 Autumn Nations Series. This is where we analyse the weekend’s lineups, crunch the stats and see what the bookies are thinking to help you optimise your lineups for peak performance this weekend! By the time you finish this article you should have all the insight you need to score big fantasy points this weekend.
It looks like the only game in place for the Autumn Nations Series is on the Official Game, so head on over there and get your teams sorted. Also make sure you check out our guide to the game here. There is also an FRG league in place there, no prizes, just for fun and honour amongst your Fantasy Rugby brothers and sisters! Go here to join…
Potential mismatches
Here are the expected results from the bookies this week…
- Ireland to beat Fiji by 27 points
- England to beat Japan by 18 points
- New Zealand to beat Scotland by 15 points
- Australia to beat Italy by 13 points
- France to beat South Africa by 5 points
- Argentina to beat Wales by 1 point
Expected to go well
*Players who are starting favourably out of position (i.e. Hooker in back row, Centre on wing, etc.)
The week’s captain pick is in bold
HOOKERS
- Rob Herring (Ireland)
- Samisoni Taukei’aho (New Zealand)
PROPS
- Ellis Genge (England)
- Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)
- Nepo Laulala (New Zealand)
LOCKS
- Maro Itoje (England)*
- Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)
- Lorenzo Cannone (Italy)*
BACK ROW
- Sam Simmonds (England)
- Fraser MacReight (Australia)
- Ardie Savea (New Zealand)
- Nick Timoney (Ireland)
SCRUM-HALF
- Antoine Dupont (France)
- Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland)
FLY HALF
- Joey Carbery (Ireland)
- Marcus Smith (England)
CENTRES
- Anton Leinert-Brown (New Zealand)
- Yoram Moefana (France)*
- Hunter Paisami (Australia)
BACK THREE
- Mack Hansen (Ireland)
- Robert Baloucoune (Ireland)
- Caleb Clarke (New Zealand)
- Tom Wright (Australia)
Supersub Strategy
As covered off in the Guide to the Official Game, ultimately SuperSub is a bit of a lottery. 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 the entire 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 – For this we see Props, Hookers and Scrum-Halves tend to come on typically between the 45-60 minute point, so they usually get some good game time. With Locks and Loose Forwards it is not rare to see a starting Lock or Loose Forward play the full 80. That said, Locks and Back Rowers are not typically left on the bench either. Fly Halves are a bit more unpredictable, they could come on early if the game plan is not working but, likewise, sometimes a change is too disruptive and can be left late, and in some cases not at all. Centres and Back 3 is also a bit of a lottery.
History – Take a look at previous games to see if there is any trends in how the team operates their replacements. In some cases, past matches can provide a pretty educated insight into how a team will play their bench.
Options – 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.
Likelihood of winning – As we know, the Official ANS fantasy game rewards the winning team well in points. So you want a SuperSub on a winning team. At the same time you want to find a balance between having starters likely to win, as they are guaranteed nailed on points, while the SuperSub is reliant on getting sufficient game time.
With this in mind, I will be looking to the following candidates to give the SuperSub selection to in Round 2…
- Dan Sheehan – H – Ireland
- Jordan Petaia – B3 – Australia
- Manu Tuilagi – C – England
- Tate McDermott – HB – Australia
- Jamie George – H – England
- Codie Taylor – H – New Zealand
Come and join the FRG league!
Join our public fantasy league on the official Autumn Nations Series game here by clicking on this link: https://gamezone.autumnnationsseries.com/fantasy/#welcome/register/?parrain=b6kzapx&ligue=32
FRG Partners
Check out our selected partners at Canterbury and LooseHeadz for all your stash needs…
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