Duhan van der Merwe lived up to his reputation as a tackler for fun against Wales. Photo: PA/David Davies
No need I'll dwell on the painful mistakes of my fantasy World Cup campaign. I have no preference at all for Max Malins over Henry Arundell's five tries in England's win over Chile. Want Shannon Frizell, who received an early yellow card, instead of Ardie Savea before the final? I completely forgot.
The new Six Nations includes another official fantasy game that's a little different to the one I was tearing my hair out over in France. Why, oh why, did I captain Mathieu Jalibert instead of Damian Penaud in the hosts' win over Namibia? No problem, here are some tips for the Six Nations.
How to select players
Users are given a budget of 240 stars to select a starting lineup from all six lineups. The most expensive players, James Lowe and Damian Penaud, are worth 20 stars, all spread out by position. You need three backs, three players, two centres, a half-back and a scrum-half in the back line. The forward pack should consist of three back rowers, a pair of locks, two props and a hook. Don't get stuck with hard and loose head stops if you don't want to. It is not necessary that there be one of each of them.
In terms of bonus roles, the captain tag does what most fantasy sports games have done over the years; this doubles that player's score. A very interesting feature of this Six Nations game that adds a strategic element is the «super sub» feature. This will triple the points of the extra player coming off the bench. However, if this player starts the game, he will only return half of the points earned.
How to score points
The Six Nations game is more simplified than the World Cup game. However, as well as metrics such as tries, passes, tackles and turnovers, the scoring index includes kicking ratios of 50:22, which is worth a significant seven-point boost. Lineout interceptions cost the same. Most valuable, however, are the coveted Man of the Match awards. This will earn you a whopping 15 points. As always, the cards will cost the most. Yellow deducts three points from you, and a removal carries a six-point sanction.
Tips
Choose Damian and/or Doohan
Don't try to be too smart or balk at the price of premium fenders. Penaud is now worth 19.4 stars, down from an original high of 20, after a memorable night in Marseille. He still scored 17 points on Friday. Each defender defeated scores more than two points. Peno glides past opponents at will. He finished the last championship as the top scorer and is also an effective link who will be surrounded by his Bordeaux colleagues. Keep the faith.
Duhan van der Merwe (18.3 stars) dodges tackles for fun. He scored 38 points in a thriller in Cardiff, scoring 95 meters on his way to two tries.
Back your newbies
An analysis of the scoring lists shows that relatively unproven national team players are cheap. Going into the first round, Joe McCarthy and Tommy Freeman had 11 and 8 stars, respectively. They immediately proved to be good deals. McCarthy scored 33 points, helped by the man of the match award. Freeman scored 27 points himself. Prices fluctuate up and down, just like the Fantasy Premier League (FPL), so move quickly. McCarthy currently has a 12.1 star rating, while Freeman has a 9.1 star rating. With 37 points in Rome, Ethan Roots increased his number of starts to 9.7.
Positional flexibility
Just as Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players scour databases for midfielders labeled as defenders or strikers categorized as midfielders, rugby provides similar opportunities. Tommaso Menoncello (now 12.1 stars) is out of the back three. The explosive Italian star has been exclusively at the center for Benetton this season, drilling holes superbly against England before moving to the wing. He scored 35 points in defeat.
Magic stats
Finn Russell will be in goal for Scotland and is sure to continue to score with more points. try assists. He's also quite prolific when it comes to 50:22, a seven-point feat that could make your week. Russell started the championship in the 40th round as Scotland beat Wales.
With break interceptions worth five and lineout interceptions worth seven, the likes of Maro Itoje (16.1 stars), Tadhg Beirne (17 stars) and Tommy Reffell (13.1 stars) will be tempting. Beirne scored 44 points at the Stade Velodrome while Reffell struggled to score an impressive 34 points.
Supersub Options
When thinking about the “super sub” bonus, one name immediately comes to mind; Nolan le Garrec (9.2 stars). The speedy scrum-half scored six tries for Racing 92 in the top 14. He added spark when he replaced Maxim Luka against Ireland, introducing himself as a jackal and scoring 5 points. His earnings are sure to improve as France does this as a collective.
Stay tuned
Le Garrec could very well make it into Murrayfield's starting line-up, so keep an eye out for announcements towards the end of gameweek. Unlike the FPL, the Six Nations fantasy team can be changed mid-round if the players' teams have not yet taken the field. This means that if you are vigilant enough, you can intervene and remove those who have withdrawn in real life. For example, it would be a shame if someone kept Ellis Genge in their team after the England international was ruled out of the Italy game with a leg injury.
Trainers
One point per tackle, rather than one for every five tackles as in other rugby games, makes defenders more valuable. Here it is worth paying attention to Michele Lamaro (11.2 stars). The Italy captain made 19 tackles against England, scoring well enough to boost his value despite being sent to the scrap heap later on. Gregory Alldritt's performance (17.5 stars) is also consistently stellar and is unlikely to diminish with France captaincy.
Looks can be deceiving
Aldritt is a good place to be, to finish. Most would probably assume he was outplayed by Caelan Doris (17 stars) on Friday. However, he scored 31 points. Doris got 20. Difference? Time spent on defense. Alldritt made 16 tackles and forced a Jackal pass, while Doris made 8 tackles and recorded no interceptions.
Unexpected leader?
Wild, drunk. Turnover matches yield huge individual results, with Aaron Wainwright becoming the first man to pass a half-century this season. A try and 97 running meters with five defenders beaten and a man of the match despite being on the losing side totaled 56 points. Next stop; Twickenham.
Свежие комментарии