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 17:30 BST on 29th September. The next update will be tomorrow after the next batch of team annoucements.
Keep an eye out for the Round 5 tips which will go live on Wednesday 4th October.
FRG Premium – Join today to elevate your Fantasy Rugby performance
Now live on Buy Me A Coffee, unlock further fantasy rugby insights with Fantasy Rugby Geek Premium! With your subscription, you’ll see the exact teams that I am playing with, get access to further private posts, and I will also offer you a personalised review of your teams, outlining any opportunities for improvement. All your subscripitions go back into the costs of running fantasyrugbygeek.com!
Elevate your fantasy rugby game – subscribe to Fantasy Rugby Geek Premium today and embark on a winning journey like never before! Act fast, and seize your ticket to fantasy rugby glory today!
A big thank you to the 59 FRG Members who have signed up to FRG Premium since the start of the RWC (Keeping you anonymous in case anyone in your mini leagues is reading! 🤫)
Potential mismatches Week 4 (27th September – 1st October)
Here are the matches in Week 4 and the handicap lines provided by the bookies…
- Scotland to beat Romania by 59 points
- Argentina to beat Chile by 52 points
- South Africa to beat Tonga by 39 points
- New Zealand to beat Italy by 27 points
- Australia to beat Portugal by 23 points
- Uruguay to beat Namibia by 17 points
- Fiji to beat Georgia by 16 points
- Samoa to beat Japan by 5 points
Blanking this round
Teams without a match this round are…
- France
- Ireland
- Wales
- England
Blanking in the next Round will be Namibia, South Africa, Australia and Chile. The next round is the final round of the Pool Stage.
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 (MOST OF!) 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 expect that there will be a lot of rotation this round. I will update this list when TBC’s are Confirmed.
PROP
- Eroni Mawi (Fiji)
- Jamie Bhatti (Scotland)
- Vincent Koch (South Africa)
- Eduardo Bello (Argentina)
- Angus Bell (Australia)
HOOKER
- Agustin Creevy (Argentina)
- Ewan Ashman (Scotland)
- Codie Taylor (New Zealand)
LOCKS
- Scott Barrett (New Zealand)
- Nick Frost (Australia)
- Sam Skinner (Scotland)
- Guido Petti (Argentina)
- Marcos Kremer (Argentina)*
- Nicolas Martins(Portugal)*
BACK ROW
- Ardie Savea (New Zealand)
- Juan Martin Gonzalez (Argentina)
- Matt Fagerson (Scotland)
- Manuel Ardao (Uruguay)
- Shannon Frizell (New Zealand)
- Fraser McReight (Australia)
- Facundo Isa (Argentina)
- Villiame Mata (Fiji)
SCRUM-HALF
- Cobus Reinach (South Africa)
- Grant Williams (South Africa)*
- Santiago Arata (Uruguay)
- Ali Price (Scotland)
FLY HALF
- Felipe Etcheverry (Uruguay)
- Richie Mo’unga (New Zealand)
- Ben Healy (Scotland) or Nicolas Sanchez (Argentina) for a budget pick on the official game
CENTRES
- Josua Tuisova (Fiji)
- Cam Redpath (Scotland)
- Lucio Cinti (Argentina)
- Rieko Ioane (New Zealand)
- Semi Radradra (Fiji)*
OUTSIDE BACKS
- Darcy Graham (Scotland) – CAPTAIN PICK
- Makazole Mapimpi (South Africa)
- Juan Imhoff (Argentina)
- Mark Telea (New Zealand)
- Mark Nawaqanitawase (Australia)
- Will Jordan (New Zealand)
- Kyle Steyn (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 4
Triple Captain – Darcy Graham, Makazole Mapimpi or Will Jordan
Kicker – Ben Healy, Nicolas Sanchez or Richie Mo’unga
Defender – Michele Lamaro, Martin Sigren and Jack Cornelsen
Additional SuperBru tips for Round 4
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 4 Recommended nations to select from for long term success…
Recommended nations for Round 4 (Good fixture this round): Scotland, New Zealand and Argentina
Be cautious in Round 4 (Great fixture this round but blank next): Australia and South Africa
Bring in with a long term view (Great fixtures coming up…): Tonga and Fiji
Avoid for Round 4 (Blanking this Round or next and with no big upside games this round): France, Ireland, Wales, England, Namibia and Chile
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.
Buy me a Coffee!
If you’ve been enjoying the FRG tips over the years, please consider supporting the blog and donating a coffee, all donators will receive a name drop on the next weekly tips, and your donations will help with the running of the blog (and keeping me fuelled to do so!) >>> https://www.buymeacoffee.com/FRugbyGeekBuy me a coffee – A big thank you to those who have donated since the start of the RWC (@Coznoleon, AFCBeer, Jim, Swissmav, Mogsy AbFab, and 3 Anonymous donators), your support is massively appreciated!
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.
Found this interesting or useful and looking for more Fantasy Rugby news, tips and advice? Follow @frugbygeek on Twitter, Like us on Facebook or sign up to the newsletter below to get fantasy rugby news delivered straight to you!