Welcome to the latest FRG Rugby World Cup pre-match update. This is where we analyse the upcoming lineups, crunch the stats and see what the bookies are thinking to help you optimise your lineups for peak performance this week!
As mentioned in previous posts, while I will do all I can to only select starters, there is a limitation in the fact that lineups are only announced 48 hours prior to kick-off, and while I will make it clear where players are unconfirmed, make sure you double check the starting XV’s before you finalise your team. This is particularly challenging for those playing Superbru, as your team is locked in once the deadline passes. This is less of an issue for the Official game in which you can make changes even after the Round starts.
I will update this post as and when new teams are announced. This is the final version and is up to date as of 07:00 BST on 23rd September. The next update will be tomorrow after the next batch of team annoucements.
Keep an eye out for the Round 4 tips which will go live on Tuesday 26th September.
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Potential mismatches Week 3 (20th-24th September)
Here are the matches in Week 3 and the handicap lines provided by the bookies…
- France to beat Namibia by 64 points
- England to beat Chile by 50 points
- Italy to beat Uruguay by 26 points
- Scotland to beat Tonga by 20 points
- Argentina to beat Samoa by 15 points
- Georgia to beat Portgal by 13 points
- South Africa to beat Ireland by 2 points
- Australia to beat Wales by 1 point
Blanking this round
Teams without a match this round are…
- New Zealand
- Romania
- Fiji
- Japan
Blanking in the next Round will be France, Ireland, Wales and England.
Expected to go well on the Official Game and SuperBru
These are the FRG weekly tips, I typically try to offer 2-3 good options for each positional slot, also taking into account players who may be playing favourably out of position (i.e. Players categorised as Centre playing in the Back 3).
Please note that some these picks have been published before lineups were announced, so some of these picks may not be playing – these players will have TBC beside them. Please double check the starting XV before you commit to your teams. I will update this list when TBC’s are Confirmed.
PROP
- Andrew Porter (Ireland)
- Danilo Fischetti (Italy)
- Bevan Rodd (England)
- Angus Bell (Australia)
- Beka Gigashvili (Georgia)
HOOKER
- Theo Dan (England)
- Shalva Mamukashvili (Georgia)
- Peato Mauvaka (France)
LOCKS
- Thibaud Flament (France)
- Theo McFarland (Samoa)*
- Marcos Kremer (Argentina)*
- Will Rowlands (Wales)
BACK ROW
- Charles Ollivon (France)
- Jack Willis (England)
- Lorenzo Cannone (Italy)
- Jack Dempsey (Scotland)
- Jac Morgan (Wales)
- Beka Gorgadze (Georgia)
SCRUM-HALF
- Antoine Dupont (France)
- Danny Care (England)
- Ben White (Scotland)
FLY HALF
- Mathieu Jalibert (France)
- Tommaso Allan (Italy)
- Owen Farrell (England)
- Marcus Smith (England)*
CENTRES
- Jonathan Danty (France)
- Juan Ignacio Brex (Italy)
- Rodrigo Marta (Portugal)*
- Ollie Lawrence (England)
- Bundee Aki (Ireland)
- Duncan Paia’aua (Samoa)*
OUTSIDE BACKS
- Damian Penaud (France) – CAPTAIN PICK
- Thomas Ramos (France)
- Henry Arundell (England)
- Monty Ioane (Italy)
- Louis Bielle-Biarrey (France)
- Ange Capuozzo (Italy)
- Duhan Van Der Merwe (Scotland)
* Players who are categorised in a different position in some games but are starting in a potentially more favourable position to accumulate fantasy points (i.e. A centre on the wing)
RWC Official Fantasy Game Booster Recommendations for Round 3
Triple Captain – Damian Penaud, Thomas Ramos or Antoine Dupont
Kicker – Thomas Ramos or Owen Farrell
Defender – Will Rowlands, Jac Morgan or Sione Talitui
Additional SuperBru tips for Round 3
Compared to the Official Game, there are some additional constraints on SuperBru that make things slightly more challenging.
The first is that you can’t change your team after the start of the gameweek, and in many cases the lineups will not all be announced until after the gameweek lockout. So you are recommended to have your bench filled with guaranteed starters in case one of your starters is unconfirmed.
Secondly, during the pool stage you are limited to 6 transfers compared to unlimited in the actual game, so you would benefit from planning ahead. So focus on bringing in players with favourable fixtures and who don’t have a blank gameweek following.
General SuperBru Round 3 Recommended nations to select from for long term success…
Recommended nations for Round 3 (Good fixture this round): Italy and Georgia
Be cautious in Round 3 (Great fixture this round but blank next): England and France
Bring in with a long term view (Great fixtures coming up…): Scotland, Australia and Argentina
Avoid for Round 3 (Blanking this Round or next and with no big upside games this round): Ireland, Wales, New Zealand, Romania, Fiji and Japan
If you back your Fantasy Rugby skills to lead you to Fantasy Rugby World Cup glory, then join our public fantasy leagues.
We have two set up, one on the Official Game, and one on Superbru.
To join, for Superbru you can join here and for the Official game you can join the FRG league here. Good luck!
Fantasy Rugby Games for Rugby World Cup
A summary of the top games that you can play fantasy rugby for the Rugby World Cup (this will update as more games are added)…
- SuperBru – An old favourite of fantasy rugby among other games and sports – Check out our review here.
- The Official Rugby World Cup Fantasy game – The official game, a salary cap style game – Check out our review here.
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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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