Rugby World Cup Fantasy Rugby: The rules just changed

What an unbelievable close to the pool stages we witnessed. Samoa came inches away from recording one of the biggest upsets in tournament history as they narrowly fell to England whilst Ireland, France and the All Blacks continued their white-hot form with emphatic wins.

Sunday then hosted three ‘game of the tournament’ contenders, starting with Argentina edging out Japan in a high-octane affair before Tonga and Romania shared a wild shootout, but the best was saved until last.

Portugal’s last-gasp win over Fiji sealed their first-ever World Cup victory, brought a close to the most chaotic pool in tournament history and provided the perfect send-off to a thrilling opening stanza of the competition.

Despite the prospect of some mouth-watering matchups in the quarterfinals, the conclusion of the pool stages sees us wave goodbye to some fantasy warriors.

At the top of that list is Portuguese duo, Nicolas Martins and Raffaele Storti.

Martins was a dream for fantasy owners. He was the highest-scoring lock by a landslide after taking the tournament by storm and at just 3.0 credits, was comfortably the most valuable player of the pool stages.

Tonga’s Ben Tameifuna and Japan’s Michael Leitch will also be missed as they hauled in the most fantasy points for a prop and loose forward respectively, with Leitch also being the most popular ‘defensive king’ selection.

In the backs, Georgia’s electric 21-year-old winger Davit Niniashvili set the pool stages alight, scoring the fifth most points of any player whilst Scotland’s Darcy Graham recorded the third highest points total, alongside securing the highest individual score of the pool stages with 195 points against Romania.

The pool stages will leave fond memories, but now we enter the business end of the tournament.

Quarter-finals news

Fixture List:

Wales vs Argentina

Ireland vs New Zealand

England vs Fiji

France vs South Africa

For the knockout stages, the total budget has been increased to 115 credits whilst fantasy owners can now select up to four players from each nation for the quarterfinal stage, this will then increase to five for the semi-finals and six for the bronze final and final.

Following the conclusion of the pool stages, the three ‘boosters’ on offer (Triple Captain, Super Kicker and Defensive King) have been reset and with there being three knockout stages, one booster needs to be used each round.

My strategy is going to be to use the ‘Defensive King’ booster for the quarterfinals with one player in particular on my radar whilst saving the ‘Triple Captain’ booster for a potential mismatch in the semi-finals before using the ‘Super Kicker’ for the bronze final and final.

As always, keep an eye on the starting lineups as they’re released to ensure you’re not leaving out any valuable points.

Here is your complete position-by-position fantasy guide for the first week of the knockout stages.

Props

Thomas Gallo (Argentina): 4.5 Credits, 29.7 Average Fantasy Score

Thomas Gallo has flown well under the radar so far.

He has registered the second most fantasy points of any prop but boasts the highest average by over five points a game.

Thomas Gallo /PA

As well as that, he has won 11 scrums outright in just three starts and recorded 32 points alone from beating defenders.

The powerful loosehead should continue going about his business this week and be one of the top point-scoring props this round.

Tomas Francis (Wales): 5.0 Credits, 24.3 Average Fantasy Score

With Tomas Francis, you pretty much know exactly what you’re going to get.

He has registered the second most tackles of any prop left in the tournament and has won 13 scrums outright so far.

Whilst he isn’t the busiest prop in the loose, the defensive and set-piece numbers are unmatched and are why he has scored the most fantasy points of any prop left in the competition.

Luke Tagi (Fiji): 3.5 Credits, 21.8 Average Fantasy Score

Even with the increased budget, the number of superstars in high-scoring positions means that you should be targeting cheaper options at prop, and Tagi is the perfect player for that.

The Fijian heavyweight has registered the third most points of all props still left in the tournament and is the cheapest option out of anyone.

Tagi has stepped up massively for Fiji this tournament and with his big ball-carrying and scrum stability, he is an excellent choice once again.

Hookers

Peato Mauvaka (France): 8.0 Credits, 44.8 Average Fantasy Score

Many questions were raised when France’s first-choice hooker Julien Marchand was ruled out of the tournament after picking up an injury against New Zealand, but Mauvaka has comprehensively quashed all those doubts.

He has been integral to France’s success so far, registering four try involvements on top of his 26 tackles and 131 metres made.

The 26-year-old has 60 more fantasy points than the second-highest-scoring hooker and has the highest average by some distance making him the obvious choice this round.

Locks

Tadhg Beirne (Ireland): 8.5 Credits, 35.3 Average Fantasy Score

Outside of Portugal’s Nicolas Martins, Tadhg Beirne has been the most prolific lock in fantasy rugby during this World Cup.

With 141 total points at an average of over 35 a game, it’s no wonder why 22% of fantasy owners have the dynamic send rower in their side.

Beirne has built up a history of performing on the big stage so I’m expecting a big game from him which should reflect in a handsome fantasy haul.

Will Rowlands (Wales): 5.5 Credits, 30.7 Average Fantasy Score

Wales broke a record in the World Cup opener making 253 tackles against Fiji, the most ever by a team in a World Cup fixture.

On that day, Rowlands made 27 tackles, forced four turnovers and recorded 48 fantasy points.

Will Rowlands of Wales during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 match between Wales and Australia at Parc Olympique on September 24, 2023 in Lyon, France. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Out of the remaining locks in the competition, Rowlands has the second-highest average and points total, making him a bargain at just 5.5 credits.

The 32-year-old is a crucial part of Wales’ swarming defence and will need to play a similar role as he did against Fiji to ensure Wales get over the line.

Loose Forwards

Charles Ollivon (France): 7.0 Credits, 43.7 Average Fantasy Score

In a team full of superstars, Ollivon has been one of the unsung heroes for France this World Cup.

Ever industrious, the 30-year-old has proven his importance to this French side, especially in their defensive system.

In what should be a gritty affair against the Springboks, expect Ollivon to accumulate a stack of fantasy points in the defensive areas.

Ardie Savea (New Zealand): 7.0 Credits, 52.3 Average Fantasy Score

Ardie Savea is a gun.

If the All Blacks have any chance of denying Ireland their first-ever semi-final appearance, Savea will need to be prominent. He’ll be tasked with disrupting rucks, busting through the Irish defence and causing chaos in the wide channels with ball in hand.

In the fantasy landscape, he has scored the most points of any loose forward left at the World Cup and is the only one to average over 50 points.

No matter the opposition, Savea will perform and undoubtedly be one of the best-scoring back rowers in the fantasy world again this week.

Jac Morgan (Wales): 6.5 Credits, 40.7 Average Fantasy Score

As I alluded to at the start of the article, I’m going to be deploying the ‘Defensive King’ booster this week, and Jac Morgan will be the man I use it on.

The Welsh captain has been a revelation this tournament. He’s made 44 tackles, three turnovers and scored two tries across his three starts, leading him to the third-highest average of any loose forward left at the World Cup.

Throughout the pool stages, Wales have proven that their steely nature in defence makes them tough to beat.

Against an Argentina side that will look to stretch Wales’ stringent defence, I’m expecting Morgan to be heavily involved in the defensive duties, both in contact and at the breakdown.

Scrum-halves

Antoine Dupont (France): 11.0 Credits, 67 Average Fantasy Score

He’s back.

Despite fracturing his cheekbone against Namibia just over three weeks ago, the best player in the world has recovered in time to lead his side into their monumental clash against the world champions.

From a fantasy standpoint, this doesn’t need overthinking.

Dupont is a magician, and he’s proven time and time again that he can do it in the biggest of games and this week should be no different.

He is at the heart of everything France do, especially from an attacking standpoint and it’s shown with three try assists, seven offloads and a 67 average fantasy score, all in under 130 minutes of playing time.

South Africa will undoubtedly have a plan to try and silence the maestro, but he has always found a way to make a positive impact on games, even against defensive-minded sides.

Fly-halves

Johnny Sexton (Ireland): 13.0 Credits, 35.5 Average Fantasy Score

Johnny Sexton is arguably the most important facet of Ireland’s lethal attack.

The 38-year-old, who announced he will be retiring at the end of the tournament, won’t want to make this his final game and will look to steer the number one side in the world to their first-ever semi-final.

There is no side in the world where players understand their role in attack as well as Ireland, which is why they’re so dangerous and it’s spearheaded by Sexton and his patented ‘loop around’ set play.

Johnny Sexton (l) and Peter O' Mahony look on from the sidlines during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 match between Ireland and Scotland at Stade de France on October 07, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

I believe Ireland are going to have success this weekend against an All Blacks side that doesn’t play a typical ‘blitz’ style of defence.

Combining that with Sexton’s elite kicking abilities off the tee is why I believe he will be the highest scoring fly-half this week.

Centres

Bundee Aki (Ireland): 9.5 Credits, 65.5 Average Fantasy Score

There is no debate surrounding the fact that Bundee Aki has been one of the best players in this tournament.

He has registered the most carries and the second-most linebreaks of any player this tournament on top of his four tries.

It has reflected in the fantasy landscape and leaves him with the second most points of any player left in the competition, and the most of any centre by some distance.

Ireland have a lot of weapons in their arsenal but Aki is their heaviest piece of artillery and should prove a handful for the All Blacks, particularly if Rieko Ioane is targeted in the outside centre channel.

George North (Wales): 7.5 Credits, 47.7 Average Fantasy Score

George North has recaptured his form of old this World Cup.

Back to his brutal best, the 31-year-old has fully adjusted to the outside centre position, making him pivotal in Wales’ success so far, and it’s shown in the fantasy world.

North has the second-highest average fantasy score of any centre left at the World Cup and the fourth-highest points total, despite only starting three pool games.

Wales will look to target Argentina’s inexperienced centre pairing this weekend and I believe North will add to his two tries and four linebreaks and reward fantasy owners.

Outside Backs  

Damian Penaud (France): 10.0 Credits, 100 Average Fantasy Score

As most people expected, Damian Penaud has been phenomenal so far.

He is the tournament’s top tryscorer, crossing the line six times in just three games and is just two scores away from equalling Bryan Habana’s record of eight tries in a World Cup campaign.

The electric winger is the only player to average a triple-digit fantasy score, has the highest points total of all the remaining players and averages 20 more fantasy points than the next closest player.

At just 27 years old, Penaud is a perennial whitewash crosser and if France are to have success against South Africa this week, he will be heavily involved.

Louis Rees-Zammit (Wales): 8.0 Credits, 45.3 Average Fantasy Score

Speed kills, and Rees-Zammit is one of the quickest players we’ve ever seen.

That express pace has seen him score five tries this tournament, equal for second best, alongside four linebreaks and over 250 run metres.

Wales’ attack has been firing on all cylinders and if they’re to have success against Los Pumas this week, Rees lightning will need to be heavily involved.

Hugo Keenan (Ireland): 8.0 Credits, 34.8 Average Fantasy Score

I usually steer clear of selecting fullbacks in the outside back position, but I’ve got a feeling about Hugo Keenan this week.

He has started every game for Ireland at this World Cup and has been instrumental in their rise to the number-one ranked side in the world.

Keenan’s intelligence of when to inject himself into the Irish attacking line, paired with his silky running and link play is what makes him one of the best fullbacks in the world and is why he can have success this week when Ireland manage to get front foot ball in the red zone.