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 18:00 BST on 6th October.
Keep an eye out for the Quarter-Final tips which will go live on Thursday 12th October.
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Potential mismatches Week 5 (5th-8th October)
Here are the matches in Week 5 and the handicap lines provided by the bookies…
- New Zealand to beat Uruguay by 66 points
- Tonga to beat Romania by 36 points
- France to beat Italy by 26 points
- Fiji to beat Portugal by 21 points
- Wales to beat Georgia by 19 points
- England to beat Samoa by 18 points
- Argentina to beat Japan by 14 points
- Ireland to beat Scotland by 11 points
Blanking this round
Teams without a match this round are…
- South Africa
- Chile
- Australia
- Namibia
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 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.
Captain recommentations: Damian McKenzie, Leicester Fainga’anuku, Damian Penaud or Will Jordan
PROP
- Ben Tameifuna (Tonga)
- Luke Tagi (Fiji)
- Cyril Baille (France)
- Tyrel Lomax (New Zealand)
- Tomas Francis (Wales)
HOOKER
- Peato Mauvaka (France)
- Codie Taylor (New Zealand)
- Dan Sheehan (Ireland)
LOCKS
- Tadhg Beirne (Ireland)
- Tupou Va’ai (New Zealand)
- Thibaut Flament (France)
- Semesi Paea (Tonga)*
- Will Rowland (Wales)
- Theo McFarland (Samoa)*
- Nicolas Martins (Portugal)*
BACK ROW
- Charles Ollivon (France)
- Sione Vailanu (Tonga)
- Gregory Alldritt (France)
- Levani Botia (Fiji)
- Shannon Frizell (New Zealand)
- Michael Leitch (Japan)
- Ben Earl (England)
SCRUM-HALF
- Cameron Roigard (New Zealand)
- Sonatane Takulua (Tonga)
- Tomos Williams (Wales)
FLY HALF
- Damian McKenzie (New Zealand)*
- Richie Mo’unga (New Zealand)
- George Ford (England)
CENTRES
- Anton Leinert-Brown (New Zealand)
- Afusipa Taumoepeau (Tonga)*
- Jonathan Danty (France)
- Joe Marchant (England)*
- George North (Wales)
- Bundee Aki (Ireland)
OUTSIDE BACKS
- Will Jordan (New Zealand)
- Salesi Piutau (Tonga)
- Damian Penaud (France)
- Leicester Fainga’anuku (New Zealand)
- Vinaya Habosi (Fiji)
- Thomas Ramos (France)
- Louis Rees-Zammit (Wales)
* 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 5
Triple Captain – Damian McKenzie, Leicester Fainga’anuku, Damian Penaud or Will Jordan
Kicker – Thomas Ramos, George Ford/Owen Farrell (Depending on who is on kicks – will try to get confirmation) or Richie Mo’unga
Defender – Michele Lamaro, Michael Leitch or Nicolas Martins (TBC)
Additional SuperBru tips for Round 5
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 5 Recommended nations to select from for long term success…
Recommended nations for Round 5 (Good fixture this round): New Zealand, France, Wales and Fiji
Be cautious in Round 5 (Great fixture this round but will not make the Quarters): Tonga
Avoid for Round 5 (Blanking this Round or confirmed as out of the tournament in the next round): Namibia, Romania, Georgia, Portugal, Chile, South Africa and Australia
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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Any tips for gameweek 6?