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Rugby Championship Fantasy – Building a star-studded backline
With the start of the Rugby Championship this weekend brings a new edition of Fantasy Rugby with RugbyPass. With a salary cap of $150 million to spend on a squad of 25 players, here are some of the best buys and undercover value picks.
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Halfbacks
Beware of halfbacks like Aaron Smith ($7m) who are world-class at the position but may not bear much fruit in fantasy. The system values running halfbacks who will clock up more carries, line breaks and offloads.
That means Faf de Klerk ($6.3m) and Will Genia ($6.5m) are high value buys at a reasonable cost. Genia in particular is coming off one his best Super Rugby seasons and shapes as a key player for the Wallabies.
With limited opportunities for bench players like Nick Phipps and TJ Perenara to start, going with two quality starters is a good strategy to cover for any injury possibility.
2017 Starters
South Africa – Ross Cronje (4 starts)
New Zealand – Aaron Smith (5 starts), TJ Perenara (1 start)
Wallabies – Will Genia (6 starts)
Argentina – Tomas Cubelli (3 starts), Martin Ladanjo (3 starts)
Flyhalves
Beauden Barrett ($8m) has retained his All Blacks starting position but based on his cost, is overvalued for Rugby Championship Fantasy. His form in Super Rugby took a dip which lead to calls for Richie Mounga to start.
Based on Super Rugby form, both Mounga and Damian McKenzie averaged significantly more fantasy points than Barrett so if he is rested for either one, they could prove a smart pickup. McKenzie could start at fullback at any time during the season so is worth picking up as your backup flyhalf for $6.5m.
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You need to find a quality starter so Bernard Foley and Nicolas Sanchez are both affordable and goalkickers who are likely to score just as well as Barrett in fantasy. Neither player has any real competition for their position so will be reliable starters every week.
The wildcard is the Springbok flyhalves, Elton Jantjies, Damian Willemse and Handre Pollard. With Jantjies under pressure to be the starter, who knows how many starts will be given to each player.
Willemse ($4.8m) is a dirt-cheap bargain if he is given the 10 jersey at any stage. His electric running game will rack up plenty of fantasy points and will be a great short-term buy.
2017 starters
South Africa – Elton Jantjies (6 starts)
New Zealand – Beauden Barrett (6 starts)
Wallabies – Bernard Foley (6 starts)
Argentina – Nicolas Sanchez (5 starts)
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Centres
Jack Goodhue ($5m) is the buy of the season at such a low cost with high fantasy scoring potential. Goodhue averaged in the top five in fantasy scoring for any centre in Super Rugby. He has just been named to start in the opening test so is a must-have addition to your midfield.
Ryan Crotty ($6.8m) is a reliable buy that will partner Goodhue this weekend and will likely start most of the All Blacks matches. If you are looking for one midfielder who will consistently play, lock down Crotty. Avoid picking Sonny Bill Williams ($7m) who will miss the opening couple of weeks with injury.
Wallaby Reece Hodge ($5.6m) is a cheap buy that will likely see a lot of game time on the wing or as a makeshift centre. Whilst Kurtley Beale will play nearly every game at 12, he is overvalued at $7.8m.
There is insane fantasy value with the Springboks, with cheap players that scored very well in Super Rugby. Lukanyo Am ($4.6m), Andre Esterhuizen ($4m) and Damian de Allende ($5.4m) are worth looking at, but much will depend on Rassie’s selections. With two games first up against Argentina, a number of these cheap buys could start.
With most teams likely to run a variety of midfield combinations during the Rugby Championship, you will too. Manage the cost and pick guys from the bargain bin, rotating in and out each week.
2017 starters
South Africa – Jesse Kriel (6 starts), Jan Serfontein (6 starts)
New Zealand – Sonny Bill Williams (6 starts), Ryan Crotty (4 starts), Anton Lienert-Brown (2 starts)
Wallabies – Tevita Kuridrani (5 starts), Samu Kerevi (1 start), Kurtley Beale (6 starts)
Argentina – Jeronimo De La Fuente (5 starts), Matias Orlando (5 starts)
Wingers
Rieko Ioane ($8m) is the splash buy in a solid group of wingers. The All Black is worth the dough, however, with strong Super Rugby numbers coming into the Rugby Championship. At the end of a backline where he will no doubt flourish, Ioane is a great addition.
Waisake Naholo ($7.2m) has been named to start and will be a force when in the team, but could lose time to Ben Smith in the rotation. The Wallabies Dane Haylett-Petty ($6.2m) shapes as a reliable starter but with questions over the Wallabies backline, Marika Koroibete ($7.1m) could be a risk.
The Springbok trio of Aphiwe Dyantyi ($6.4m), Makazole Mapimpi ($5.3m), Lwazi Mvovo ($5.8m) are all game breakers that could bag loads of fantasy points, but who stays in the lineup the most is uncertain.
The best value buy is Argentinian Emiliano Boffelli ($5.8m) who started all six games last year for the Pumas. Boffelli is a fantasy winner, coming off a big Super Rugby season he will score higher than average points each week and be a valued backline addition.
2017 starters
South Africa – Courtnall Skosan (6 starts), Dillyn Leds (2 starts), Francois Hougaard (2 starts),
New Zealand – Rieko Ioane (6 starts), Waisake Naholo (4 starts), Ben Smith (2 starts), Nehe Milner-Skudder
Wallabies – Henry Speight (4 starts), Curtis Rona (1 start), Dane Haylett-Petty (1 start), Marika Koreibete (2 starts), Reece Hodge (4 starts)
Argentina –Emiliano Boffelli (6 starts), Ramiro Moyano (3 starts), Santiago Cordero (1 start), Matias Moroni (4 starts)
Fullbacks
Wallaby superstar Israel Folau ($8.5m) headlines the fullback selection pool but he comes with the most expensive price tag in the competition. He is a proven fantasy workhorse though, and if you have the cash then you can feel safe making this buy.
If you don’t have quite as much salary cap left, South Africa’s Willie Le Roux ($7.1m) is a touch cheaper but will provide similar quality, as will Ben Smith ($7.0m) who will either play fullback or wing.
Tom Banks won’t likely see any game time unless Folau is injured, while Jordie Barrett has already been left out of the first test. Warrick Gelant ($4.8m) is a value buy as a substitute provided he is used when Le Roux is rested.
2017 Starters
South Africa – Andries Coetzee (6 starts)
New Zealand – Damian McKenzie (6 starts)
Australia – Israel Folau (6 starts)
Argentina – Joaquin Tuculet (5 starts)
Think you can build a Super team? Join The Rugby Championship Fantasy now and you’ll stand to win $1000s in prizes! It’s not hard: https://fantasytab.
Comments on RugbyPass
Exciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
11 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
3 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
26 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
3 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
3 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
11 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
26 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
26 Go to comments