Super Rugby Fantasy round two: Must-haves and avoids

The first round of Super Rugby Pacific for 2025 produced some absolute blockbusters, setting the stage for another high-scoring weekend as teams gear up for round two of the competition.

It was a week for the outside backs on Super Rugby Fantasy, highlighting the importance of having try-scorers throughout your team.

As you can change all 15 of your players for each week this season, here are some more “Must haves” and “Avoids” for your team in round two of the competition. 

Must-haves

Will Jordan – Crusaders – Price: $9.5m

Yes, he was on last week’s “Must-haves” list but against the Hurricanes last Friday, Jordan was one of the best on the park. Jordan was unable to cross the line himself, but was often seen setting up tries and breaking the line, finding his way to a respectable 61 Fantasy points in round one. It’s a tough matchup this weekend against Damian McKenzie and the Chiefs in Hamilton, but if Jordan can get some more front foot ball, you wouldn’t put it past him to open his 2025 Super Rugby try-scoring account.

Kini Naholo – Hurricanes – Price: $7.5m

Kini Naholo was an absolute beast in round one, scoring 62 points against the Crusaders. Even though the Hurricanes lost in Christchurch, Naholo showed that he can do damage whether the Hurricanes are on the front foot or not. This weekend in Napier, the Hurricanes take on the Fijian Drua, which often leads to a high-scoring affair. If Naholo can get his hands on the ball on Saturday afternoon, there’s no doubt that the blockbusting Hurricanes winger will provide your team with the points to gain places in your mini-leagues.

Fraser McReight – Reds – Price: $7m

The Reds have named 10 Wallabies in a very strong side for their first game of the competition. McReight has impressed in pre-season and has proved himself as one of the best players in the competition. The 26-year-old should make a heap of tackles, win some turnover ball, and make mountains of post-contact meters with ball in hand. McReight’s 10% current ownership in Super Rugby Fantasy has slowly been increasing since the squad naming on Wednesday, but due to the additional loose forward options this week, the Reds vice-captain will still be a slight differential for your team.

Honourable mentions: Timoci Tavatavanawai (HIG), Cameron Roigard (HUR), Corey Toole (BRU).

Avoids

Kyle Preston – Crusaders – Price: $3.5m

Kyle Preston burst onto the Super Rugby scene last weekend in Christchurch, coming off the bench for the injured Noah Hotham and scoring a hat-trick in his first Super Rugby appearance for the Crusaders. You will see Preston in lots of Fantasy teams this weekend due to his incredible debut last weekend, but that will be hard to back up. Without the three tries, Preston wouldn’t have influenced the game too much from a fantasy perspective, making other options more viable for round two.

Luke Reimer – Brumbies – Price: $4.5m

Luke Reimer will also feature in many teams this week because of his late double against the Fijian Drua last weekend, but as a loose forward it will be hard to replicate this sort of performance going forward, making him a slightly less promising pick this weekend. Reimer does have the opportunity to get his hands on the ball more this week, as the Brumbies will look to dominate the Force from the get-go. However, he will likely have a tougher week this week against Carlos Tizzano from the Western Force, who has proved himself as one of the best tacklers in the league.

Ben Donaldson – Force – Price: $7m 

Ben Donaldson scored the winning try against Moana Pasifika last weekend, breaking the hearts of many Moana Pasifika fans who likely believed they had the round one victory all wrapped up. Donaldson does the goalkicking for the Western Force, but there will likely be fewer points on offer for Donaldson this weekend against the Brumbies, who will be highly motivated after their nail-biter against the Fijian Drua. With Damian McKenzie being the main option at the fly-half position, Donaldson is a cheaper alternative, but the firepower of McKenzie makes him the better option this week.

Honourable mentions: 

Note: Waratahs players are unavailable to pick on Super Rugby Fantasy due to their round two bye.

Here are the specific performance scoring categories:

Playing 1-60 minutes: 1 point

Playing 61+ minutes: 2 points

For each try: 15 points

For each try assist: 9 points

For each conversion: 2 points

For each missed conversion: -1 point

For each penalty goal: 3 point

For each missed penalty: -1 point

For each drop goal: 3 point

For each missed drop goal: -1 point

Yellow Card: -5 points

Red Card: -10 points

For each turnover forced: 4 points

For each interception: 5 points

For each lineout won on own throw: 1 point

For each lineout steal on the opponent throw: 5 points

For each lineout error (includes handling error, not straight or lost outright): -2 points

For each tackle made: 1 point

For each tackle missed: -1 point

For each defender beaten: 2 points

For each offload: 2 points

For each line break: 7 points

For each line break assist: 5 points

For every 10 metres gained: 1 point

For each penalty conceded: -1 point

For each error (knock on or forward pass): -1 point

For scrum won outright (awarded to entire front row): 3 points