ASX Sports Fantasy Rugby: Who to buy in round four

There are only six matches remaining in this year’s Guinness Six Nations, but that means there are still six more opportunities to win some prizes in ASX Sports fantasy rugby.

After looking back on round three last week, we’re looking ahead to round four this week, outlining who are the standout picks and helping solve the biggest conundrum in ASX Rugby currently, which is choosing which French player will earn you the most dividends.

Wales versus France
At this moment in time, almost any France player picked is likely to provide dividends such is their strength and dominance. The challenge is therefore choosing who will provide the most points and prove to be the best value. Despite being one of the most expensive players available, it is worth having some shares in winger Damian Penaud, who is simply the most natural finisher in an incredibly slick back line. On the other end of the spectrum, only a handful of French players were cheaper than inside centre Jonathan Danty against Scotland, but only Penaud and Rory Darge earned more dividends per share than him, meaning he would have helped those that invested heavily in him skyrocket up the rankings. Of course, it would be remiss to overlook Antoine Dupont, who maybe had a quiet game against Scotland by his own standards because he did not score a try.

Penaud has been ruled out with COVID-19 since the time of writing, so while he is still worth considering in round five, his replacement against Wales, Gabin Villiere, is the perfect alternative and has already impressed so far this Six Nations.

From Wales, Taulupe Faletau looks like a good buy based on his performance against England. The No.8 was one of the top performers in most areas of the game, and will get through a huge amount of work against Les Bleus. It is unlikely that tries will be raining down for Wales at the Principality Stadium, meaning it may not necessarily be wise buying a huge number of shares in Josh Adams given his price. Looking slightly further infield, Nick Tompkins could be worth investing in given his relatively low price. The inside centre was busy throughout the match against England and managed to get on the scoresheet. He also backed up that performance with a Man of the Match display for Saracens on Saturday.

Tompkins is another player that has been ruled out since the time of writing, this time with concussion. However, Josh Navidi has been recalled to the starting XV after recovering from a shoulder injury. The flanker could be worth investing in given the defensive shift he will be required to put in.

Italy versus Scotland
On the back of a try scoring debut against France, Scotland flanker Rory Darge looks to be a wise investment when factoring in his price and how impressive his stats were against a strong France side. However, owning at least one outside back is nothing short of a necessity against Italy, who have conceded nine tries to wingers or fullbacks in three matches so far this Championship. Darcy Graham might be a better option than Stuart Hogg as he is just a bit cheaper, but whoever comes in to replace the recently banned Duhan van der Merwe could be a dark horse as they are going to be the cheapest player in the back three.

England versus Ireland
If there is one thing to take from England’s three matches so far this Championship, it is to avoid their backs like the plague. That does however exclude fly-half Marcus Smith, who does not look like he will slow down in terms of amassing dividends. But only one try has been scored by players outside him so far this Championship, and that was from Elliot Daly against Italy. Ireland will have a far more resolute defence so it is unlikely tries will be flowing from numbers north of No.10. The pack is another matter entirely. Alex Dombrandt, Kyle Sinckler and Jamie George all look to be good options, and have all scored this Championship, but the tighthead prop may be the best given how cheap his starting price is, meaning there is potential for owning a huge number of his shares.

Jamison Gibson-Park looks to be a great option from Ireland, not only due to his two tries so far this Championship, but also his two assists. That is also what makes Johnny Sexton a good pick as well. Of the best performers against Italy, these two are most likely to start against England. Up front, Josh van der Flier has been a top source of dividends all Six Nations, aided of course by his try against France.

ASX – the world’s 1st fantasy rugby game with live in-game trading – Are you playing yet? Download Now on Android or Apple!

Now play Multi-Game Contests – where one game rolls into the next and you can go from strength to strength – trade players at the end of one game for players in the next and dominate the entire round!