Six Nations
Fantasy Rugby Review: Pick a good pack in this Six Nations
John Griffiths
February 8, 2016
Players of the weekend

Forwards will have a bigger impact on fantasy this year: that is the striking conclusion from the first weekend of our revamped Fantasy Rugby game.

Extending rewards to include line-out steals, tackle counts and metres gained, and introducing the "differential" try for forwards means there is more scope for packs to accumulate points.

Comparing figures against last year's opening Six Nations weekend confirms that forwards are recording more fantasy credits this year and that the range of points among them is wider.

Highlights: Ireland 16-16 Wales
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Last season, selecting the right fantasy backs was the key to a successful team. There were such small differences across the points earned within the various forward units that choosing how to construct your pack was less critical. That will not be the case this season.

Forwards occupy four of the top five fantasy places after an opening weekend in which the "differential" fantasy try had the most significant impact. The eight-point award for a try by a forward (compared with only five for one by a back) helped catapult Sergio Parisse, Taulupe Faletau, George Kruis and Damien Chouly up the leaderboard.

Don't, however, expect to find a potential hat-trick scorer in the forwards. The last forward to score three tries in a Five or Six Nations match was French flanker Michel Crauste against England in 1962.

WHAT WE'VE LEARNT

Some of the top performers were barely even picked

© Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images

Outstanding Italy fly-half Carlo Canna was almost entirely overlooked by fantasy managers, and France winger Virimi Vakatawa was in 19% of the sides picked. George Kruis was in only 3% and Damien Chouly 1%.

Billy Vunipola, who features regularly among the top carriers in the Aviva Premiership and was the MoM at Murrayfield on Saturday, attracted only 24% of fantasy selectors. He might be a back-row forward to consider with England going to Rome next weekend.

Italy have found a natural No 10

The aforementioned Canna is the 16th run-on fly-half used by Italy in 81 Six Nations Tests since 2000, but only the sixth home-bred player to start in that position.

He varied his game skilfully and chipped in with a full-house of scoring actions -- try, conversion, penalty and dropped goal -- to finish second in fantasy scoring amongst backs.

Highlights: France 23-21 Italy
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Drop-kicking is becoming a lost art

Canna's dropped goal in Paris was the only successful one in six attempts by various players over the weekend. The late efforts by Sergio Parisse of Italy and Rhys Priestland of Wales could have been match-winners.

Where have all the Jonny Wilkinsons, Rob Andrews and Barry Johns gone?

The new coaches aren't afraid to play to their wings

France coach Guy Novès and his England counterpart Eddie Jones were the only coaches whose sides created tries for wings in the first round of games.

Virimi Vakatawa, the MoM in Paris (and top of the fantasy performers after the first weekend), his France teammate Hugo Bonneval and England's Jack Nowell each crossed for classic corner scores.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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