Fantasy Rugby Tips, Picks and Pre-match Thoughts – Guinness Six Nations 2020 Round 5

Fantasy Rugby Geekon

Welcome to our final instalment of our weekly pre-match updates for the Guinness 2020 Six Nations 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.

What will go down…

Into Round 5 and the tournament remains wide open and it promises to be a thrilling title race between Ireland, England and France on Super Saturday. First up in Llanelli at the Parc Y Scarlets is Wales v Scotland. Scotland’s faint hopes for the title were dashed with Ireland’s bonus point victory over Italy three days ago but they head to Wales in a buoyant mood with Finn Russell back pulling the strings at 10. Nonetheless Wales have named a strong side with the likes of Liam Williams, Gareth Davies, Jonathan Davies, Leigh Halfpenny and Ryan Elias stepping out internationally on their home turf. The bookies are expecting Wales to end the tournament with a 6 point win.

Next up at the Stadio Olimpico is Italy v England. England simply need to rack up the points, a distinct possibility given that England have beaten the Azzurri in all 26 previous meetings and scored more than 1,000 points. Realistically, England could require something like a 40-point winning margin or more, yet that is something they have managed on six previous occasions in the championship’s 20-year history. All England can do is complete their part of the job by racking up a big win, then watch to see what unfolds in Paris. The bookies have given the game a 33-point spread, so expect points. From a fantasy perspective, this is the basket to put all your eggs in.

Finally there is the colossal clash in Paris between France v Ireland. Realistically they both require a bonus point victory so expect fireworks. France have been a joy to watch in the 6 Nations this year and they bookies have made them marginal favourites, but it is going to be close!

Top 10 most likely to score (Odds via Paddy Power)

  • 1 – Jonny May (England) – Anytime tryscorer odds: 2
  • 2 – Watson (England) – Anytime tryscorer odds: 1.83
  • 3= – Adams (Wales) – Anytime tryscorer odds: 2.1
  • 3= – Joseph (England) – Anytime tryscorer odds: 2.1
  • 5= – Rattez (France) – Anytime tryscorer odds: 2.3
  • 5= – Fickou (France) – Anytime tryscorer odds: 2.3
  • 5= – Vakatawa (France) – Anytime tryscorer odds: 2.3
  • 8 – Williams (Wales) – Anytime tryscorer odds: 2.4
  • 9= – Furbank (England) – Anytime tryscorer odds: 2.5
  • 9= – George (England) – Anytime tryscorer odds: 2.5

Expected to go well

*Players who are starting favourably out of position (i.e. Hooker in back row, Centre on wing, etc.)

HOOKERS

  • Jamie George (England)
  • Ryan Elias (Wales)

PROPS

  • Mako Vunipola (England)
  • Andrew Porter (Ireland)
  • Kyle Sinckler (England)

LOCKS

  • Jonny Hill (England)
  • Tadhg Beirne (Ireland)
  • Maro Itoje (England)

BACK ROW

  • Justin Tipuric (Wales)
  • Billy Vunipola (England)
  • CJ Stander (Ireland)
  • Gregory Alldritt (France)

SCRUM-HALF

  • Gareth Davies (Wales)
  • Antoine Dupont (France)

FLY HALF

  • Owen Farrell (England)
  • Romain Ntamack (France)

CENTRES

  • Jonathan Joseph (England)
  • Jonathan Davies (Wales)
  • Virimi Vakatawa (France)

OUTSIDE BACKS

  • Anthony Watson (England)
  • Josh Adams (Wales)
  • Jonny May (England)
  • Vincent Rattez (France)

 

 

Fantasy Rugby Games for the 2020 Six Nations

A summary of the top games that you can play fantasy rugby for the 2020 Six Nations (some of these are currently unconfirmed so may not have 6 Nations games live)…

  • The Rugby Magazine – Stats rich fantasy game for the purist rugby fan – Check out our 2020 review here
  • ESPN – A classic and straightforward Six Nations fantasy game – Check out our 2020 review here
  • SuperBru – An old favourite with fantasy rugby among other games and sports – Check out our 2020 review here
  • The Irish Times – Salary cap game with a €3000 top prize – Check out our 2020 review here
  • The Official Six Nations Fantasy Game – A salary cap game brought to you by the Official Six Nations organisers – Check out our 2020 review here

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