If you are new to Fantasy Rugby Geek, then welcome to our first instalment of our weekly pre-match updates for the Guinness 2026 Six Nations. This 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.
Before we do however, a word from the FRG editor…
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Okay, back to the picks…
What will go down…
Into the fourth round of the 2026 Six Nations and we have 3 high fantasy potential matches to work from.
Round 4 kicks off under the Friday night lights, with Ireland hosting Wales. Despite Wales finishing bottom last year, this fixture was surprisingly competitive, with Ireland winning 27–18, helped by a crucial Jack Conan try off the bench. Ireland are on a high, while Wales are still looking for their first win despite an impressive performance against Scotland in Round 3. The bookies have made Ireland the runaway favourites, backing Ireland to win by 24 points.
We then move to Edinburgh for Scotland v France. This is a must-win fixture for France, who will be hoping to repeat last year’s 35–16 victory. France remain the only side in contention for the Grand Slam and the bookies are backing France to win by 10 points.
Round 4 concludes with Italy hosting England in Rome. England cruised to a 47–24 win last year, and despite Italy having home advantage, this could be another strong opportunity for English fantasy assets. The bookies are backing England to win by 9 points.
Expected to go well
*Players who are starting favourably out of position (i.e. Hooker in back row, Centre on wing, etc.)
PROPS
- Danilo Fischetti (Italy)
- Rhys Carre (Wales)
- Simone Ferrari (Italy)
HOOKERS
- Jamie George (England)
- Dewi Lake (Wales)
LOCKS
- Tadhg Beirne (Ireland)
- Alex Coles (England)
- Mickael Guillard (France)
BACK ROW
- Ben Earl (England)
- Caelan Doris (Ireland)
- Jack Conan (Ireland)
- Lorenzo Cannone (Italy)
SCRUM-HALF
- Antoine Dupont (France)
- Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland)
FLY HALF
- Mathieu Jalibert (France)
- Jack Crowley (Ireland)
CENTRES
- Stuart McCloskey (Ireland)
- Nicolas Depoortere (France)
- Tommaso Menoncello (Italy)
BACK 3
- Robert Baloucoune (Ireland)
- Thomas Ramos (France)
- Louis Bielle-Biarrey (France)
- Jacob Stockdale (Ireland)
Recommended Captain Picks
This week I’d suggest the following as Captain Pick options…
- Robert Baloucoune (Ireland)
- Matthieu Jalibert (France)
- Ben Earl (England)
Supersub Strategy
For those playing the Official Game, we look at potential options for the SuperSub role.
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.
As covered in detail in a previous post, for me the key areas to consider in a SuperSub are…
- Will they come on, and will they play a significant period of time
- How the team has used their bench in previous games
- The split of subs on the bench
Based on squads so far, the following will be in contention…
- Josh Van Der Flier – BR – Ireland
- Henry Pollock – BR – England
- Lenni Nouchi – BR – France
- Marcus Smith – FH – England
Bargain buys on the Official game
The following players, valued at 11 stars or less, have been identified as potentially scoring well for their cost in the game and should be considered as good value enablers…
- Nacho Brex (ITA) – 11 – C
- Jamie Osborne (IRE) – 10.9 – B3
- Alex Coles (ENG) – 10.8 – SR
- Nick Timoney (IRE) – 10.5 – BR
- Gregor Brown (SCO) – 9.8 – SR
- Rhys Carre (WAL) – 9.8 – P
- Elliot Daly (ENG) – 9.4 – B3
- Tom Roebuck (ENG) – 9 – B3
- Jacob Stockdale (IRE) – 8.8 – B3
- Cadan Murley (ENG) – 8.6 – B3
- Eddie James (WAL) – 8.3 – C
- Seb Atkinson (ENG) – 6.7 – C
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If you want some more sources to help you finalise your decisions, go to our resources page where you’ll find all the Six Nations fantasy games, all the stats sources, injury news, team news, fantasy relevant rugby betting odds and tons of other useful information.
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