As we head into the second round, we take a look at which players scored highest in SuperBru’s Six Nations fantasy rugby game in round one, and recommend a few selections for this weekend.
Round 1 Top Performers
As always, the kickers were the biggest scorers of points in round one. George Ford topped the weekend with 25.5 points, and benefitted from a couple of nice darts in attack – he kicked fewer goals than Camille Lopez, but scored more points thanks to the metres he made with ball in hand. Ian Keatley was close on their tail but it was a disappointing first round (relative to other kickers) for Leigh Halfpenny, whose 17.5 point haul was the second worst of those taking the kicks.
Elsewhere in the backs, Alex Cuthbert suffered the ignominy of scoring negative points after his yellow card and abject failure to do anything positive against England. At the other end of the spectrum, fullbacks Mike Brown, Scott Spedding and Stuart Hogg all scored well after some nice breaks. The midfield was a low-scoring area in week one, with only Jonathan Joseph – benefitting from his superbly finished try – and Robbie Henshaw making it into double figures.
| Player | Country | Position | Points | Picked by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G. Ford | England | Fly-half | 25.5 | 48% |
| C. Lopez | France | Fly-half | 24.5 | 23% |
| I. Keatley | Ireland | Fly-half | 20.5 | 11% |
| T. O’Donnell | Ireland | Loose forward | 17.5 | 3% |
| L.Halfpenny | Wales | Outside back | 17.5 | 64% |
| C. Robshaw | England | Loose forward | 15.5 | 41% |
| M. Brown | England | Outside back | 15 | 36% |
| C. Murray | Ireland | Sctum-half | 15 | 25% |
| S. Spedding | France | Outside back | 14 | 5% |
| B. Vunipola | England | Loose forward | 13.5 | 21% |
Up front, the highest scorers came in the back row. Tommy O’Donnell‘s brilliant burst and try saw him rack up 17.5 points, benefitting from not only the five-pointer but also the lengthy run that got him there. The three English back-rowers Chris Robshaw, Billy Vunipola and James Haskell were all in the top five back row performers, reflecting their dominance over their Welsh counterparts – none of whom scored more than 5.5 points.
Dave Attwood was the highest scoring lock, as the English lineout wreaked havoc over Wales. He and Paul O’Connell, who was second highest, each benefitted from stealing two lineouts from their opponents. In the front row, France hooker Guilhem Guirado was a high scorer after France managed to win 90% of their own lineout ball. Joe Marler scored 10 points – no mean feat for a prop – after a powerful performance in which the English scrum was on top.
Who should you pick this weekend?
Italy looked by far the worst team in the opening round, and given England play them at home this weekend, you’d be wise to stack your team with Englishmen. Anthony Watson was amongst England’s highest scorers in round one with 12.5 points, and given only 3% of the community currently have him in their teams, he would make an excellent selection.
England will be looking to run in the tries against Italy, so George Ford would make a good selection as kicker once again as he’ll likely have a few conversion attempts. That said, you score an extra point for penalties, so if you think that, say, Ireland vs France might be a tight game dominated by penalties, then perhaps Camille Lopez, or whoever starts out of Johnny Sexton and Ian Keatley, is your man.
Wales didn’t have much joy against England, but they’ll still fancy their chances up at Murrayfield – they put 50 points on Scotland last year. George North’s replacement Liam Williams will have a point to prove and could be a good wildcard selection – currently only 1% of players have him in their team. Scott Spedding, week one’s third highest scorer, is also flying under the radar, having been picked by just 5%.
In the pack, the 56% that have Sergio Parisse will be hoping for a better performance after he scored just 1.5 points in week one. Against an England pack that is expected to dominate, however, they might not be in luck.
Don’t forget to join our league, and good luck with your picks this weekend!
By Jamie Hosie
Follow Jamie on Twitter: @jhosie43
Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images