1
ASX Sports Fantasy Rugby: Who to buy in round three
By Josh Raisey
The Guinness Six Nations fallow week has almost come to an end, meaning it is nearly time to chose who to buy in ASX Sports fantasy rugby in round three.
ADVERTISEMENT
The extra week provided you with plenty of time to plot and prepare which players will strike gold for you this weekend and put you in with a chance of winning great cash prizes.
There were some surprise packages in round two who would have earned bundles of dividends for those that invested in them. With that in mind, we’re here to show who you should look out for in round three:
Scotland versus France
So far this Championship, Pierre Schoeman has been Scotland’s most valuable buy, earning $3.29 dividends per $ against Wales. Whether he starts against France, as he did against Wales, or comes off the bench, as he did against England, the loosehead prop is a player to own given his cheap price. Likewise, tighthead Zander Fagerson was one of the top ten buys in round two, earning $2.47 dividends per $ after coming on from the bench.
It is worth nothing though that the likes of Schoeman may have a tougher time against France than he did against Wales. France’s strong scrum and defence increase the likelihood of penalties and therefore negative dividends. Nevertheless, Schoeman carries the ball a lot while he is on, which is why he is such good value.
Based on round two alone, only two Frenchman were in the top ten earners- Antoine Dupont and Cyril Baille- with the scrum-half earning the third most in the round with $48 dividends. Baille was the only French player to make the top ten buys though, earning $1.72 divs per $ thanks to his try-scoring performance against Ireland. It is unlikely that the loosehead will score a try every week, but it is much more likely that Dupont will, and despite his high price, it is still worth having shares in the World Rugby player of the year.
Elsewhere in the squad, fullback Melvyn Jaminet is one of only three players to make the team of the week in consecutive weeks, and the only Frenchman, and proves to be a consistent source of dividends.
ADVERTISEMENT
England versus Wales
England hooker Jamie George was the highest scorer of round two, earning $75 dividends, but it is less likely that Wales will be as brittle in defence up front as Italy were. Having shares in either Luke Cowan-Dickie or George while they are on may still be wise as England look to have a strong maul.
England have two standout buys though based on the previous rounds- Marcus Smith and Kyle Sinckler.
Two consecutive try-scoring performances mean Smith is the highest scoring player so far in ASX rugby, earning $101.2 dividends. He will be pricey, but he looks nothing short of a points machine at this moment in time. Conversely, Sinckler’s cheap price has made him the best buy in rounds one and two, earning $4.7 dividends per $ in the first weekend and $7.68 dividends per $ against Italy, helped by a try. Again, he is not going to score a try every week, but is still great value.
Tighthead Tomas Francis earned the most dividends ($18.9) from Wales in round two, but once again this was an odd weekend where props scored a large number of tries. Centre Owen Watkin could prove to be a better buy after a strong performance against Scotland, where he carried and tackled tirelessly.
ADVERTISEMENT
The returning Taulupe Faletau could also be a player to look out for. Whether he starts or is on the bench, he could be valuable to anyone with shares in him given his volume of carries.
Ireland versus Italy
So far this Championship, the highest scorer in each round has come from a team playing Italy. However, in round one it was France’s winger Gabin Villiere and in round two it was England’s hooker George, so it has hard to draw any conclusions from that.
What is noticeable is that from each round, at least one winger facing Italy has been in the top ten players, meaning owning an Ireland winger is paramount. Also, back rows have done very well against Italy, with Anthony Jelonch making the team of the week in round one and Alex Dombrandt making it in round two. Shares in an Irish back row would therefore be wise, and should he start, openside Josh van der Flier has made the team of the week in both rounds so he should be on many people’s radar.
ASX – the world’s 1st fantasy rugby game with live in-game trading – Are you playing yet? Download Now on Android or Apple!
