If you are new to Fantasy Rugby Geek, then welcome to our latest instalment of our weekly pre-match updates for the Guinness 2022 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 3, and we have two huge games on Saturday including a match-up at Murrayfield that could go a long way to determining to overall winner, and at Twickenham a continuation of a classic rivalry. On Sunday we have what should be a fairly straightforward procession for Ireland against Italy.
At the Aviva Stadium on Sunday, Ireland welcome Italy. Having lost the huge showdown against France in Round 2, Ireland will be looking to make up at home to an Italy side who seem to be unlikely to end their run without a Six Nations win since 2015 any time soon. With home advantage behind them, expect tries. The bookies have given Ireland a huge 39 point handicap. Load up.
At Murrayfield, Scotland will host France, the last remaining side with a 100% record. Murrayfield is an extremely tough place to visit and France will have fresh memories of their defeat there in 2020 as well as their home loss to Scotland last year. Les Bleus will not want to slip up again with a Grand Slam on the cards, and on paper this France side should have enough to dispatch Scotland, even with the missing Gabin Villiere. It will be close though, and the bookies are giving France a 7 point handicap.
Last up we have England and Wales squaring off at Twickenham. Both teams have had stuttering starts to the tournament and it would be hard to count out either team to take the win. Even with home advantage on the side of England, time and again we have seen Wales bring their A-game to Twickenham. The bookies seem to have favoured England heavily, giving them a 13 point handicap, which seems very generous to me. Tread carefully, I can see this going either way.
Top 10 most likely to score (Odds via Paddy Power)
- 1= – James Lowe (Ireland) – Anytime scorer odds: 1.53
- 1= – Mack Hansen (Ireland) – Anytime scorer odds: 1.53
- 3 – Dan Sheehan (Ireland) – Anytime scorer odds: 1.65
- 4 – Garry Ringrose (Ireland) – Anytime scorer odds: 2.1
- 5= – Max Malins (England) – Anytime scorer odds: 2.3
- 5= – Damian Penaud (France) – Anytime scorer odds: 2.3
- 7= – Jack Nowell (England) – Anytime scorer odds: 2.5
- 7= – Yoram Moefana (France) – Anytime scorer odds: 2.5
- 7= – Michael Lowry (Ireland) – Anytime scorer odds: 2.5
- 7= – Antoine Dupont (France) – Anytime scorer 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
- Luke Cowan-Dickie (England)
- Dan Sheehan (Ireland) – Captain Pick for The Rugby Magazine game
PROPS
- Kyle Sinckler (England)
- Andrew Porter (Ireland)
- Ellis Genge (England)
LOCKS
- Cameron Woki (France)
- Tadhg Beirne (Ireland)
- Maro Itoje (England)
BACK ROW
- Alex Dombrandt (England)
- Gregory Alldritt (France)
- Josh Van Der Flier (Ireland)
- Taine Basham (Wales)
SCRUM-HALF
- Antoine Dupont (France)
- Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland)
FLY HALF
- Marcus Smith (England)
- Joey Carbery (Ireland)
- Michael Lowry (Ireland)* – Classified as a Fly Half in both FRD and the Official Game
CENTRES
- Yoram Moefana (France)*
- Garry Ringrose (Ireland)
- Gael Fickou (France)
OUTSIDE BACKS
- James Lowe (Ireland) – Official Game and SuperBru Captain Pick
- Mack Hansen (Ireland)
- Damian Penaud (France)
- Max Malins (England)
Under-the-radar pick
Michael Lowry – As in Round 2, we have a jewel of an out of position pick. Michael Lowry, the Ulster full back has been in magnificent form all season and now he has been given a chance to shine at international level. Blessed with unreal pace and exceptional skill, he has been tearing the URC and Champions Cup all season and could not have a better opportunity to make a huge splash on his debut at home against Italy.
He’s classified in both the Official Game and Fantasy Rugby Draft as a Fly Half, so if you go with him it will be a gamble to not have either Joey Carbery or Marcus Smith starting, but he represents a huge differential, he’s good value, and with James Hume, who is primarily a Centre, on the bench, he may well find himself maximising his points by playing the full 80. Definitely worth considering…
If you back your Fantasy Rugby skills to lead you to Fantasy Six Nations glory and win you some stash while you are at it, then join our public fantasy league on the Official Six Nations Fantasy Game, where a signed paperback copy of the Fantasy Rugby Handbook and a Fantasy Rugby Geek Trucker Hat, will be on offer for the winner of the league. Join the league here.
FRG Partners
Check out our selected partners at Canterbury, LooseHeadz and Oddballs for all your stash needs…
Fantasy Rugby Games for the 2022 Six Nations
A summary of the top games that you can play fantasy rugby for the 2022 Six Nations…
- The Rugby Magazine – Stats rich salary cap style game – Check out our 2022 review here
- SuperBru – An old favourite with salary cap fantasy rugby among other games and sports – Check out our 2022 review here
- The Official Guinness 6 Nations Fantasy Game – Check out our 2022 review here
- Fantasy Rugby Draft – The only Draft style game in place for the 6 Nations – Check out our 2022 review here
Pre-tournament articles
In case you missed any of our other pre-Six Nations articles, make sure you check out the following to help guide your pre-tournament preparations…
- Fantasy Six Nations 2022 Strategies and Pitfalls
- Fantasy Six Nations Preview: England
- Fantasy Six Nations Preview: France
- Fantasy Six Nations Preview: Ireland
- Fantasy Six Nations Preview: Italy
- Fantasy Six Nations Preview: Scotland
- Fantasy Six Nations Preview: Wales
- Game Reviews: The Rugby Magazine
- Game Reviews: Fantasy Rugby Draft
- Game Reviews: SuperBru
- Game Reviews: Official Six Nations Game
- Guest post – Breaking down the Official 2021 Six Nations Fantasy Game stats
- 2022 Six Nations Predictor Games
- Notable Fantasy Six Nations Mini Leagues
- 100 of the Best Fantasy Rugby Team Names
- 2021 Six Nations Player Stats
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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 2022 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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