Fantasy rugby: First-fives and rain play a part this week

Springboks fullback Willie le Roux may not pick up as many running metres if rain affects the test against Australia in Perth. Photo / Getty Images

Barrett and Foley step into fray, where wet may dampen spirits

After two rounds of Dream Team Fantasy Rugby it's becoming clearer who the stars of the game will be.

Despite a subdued opening round, it's the backline players who are rising to the top of the fantasy leader boards.

Five players are averaging over 30 fantasy points per game - of which three are fullbacks, one is a centre/wing and the two remaining, and most valuable so far, are first-fives.

But while fantasy points flowed for these players in the dry weather of round two, forecasts for this week's games are not so rosy and team selections will also affect your squad's composition.

Aaron Cruden ($167,000) has been the captain play of the game so far with two standout performances and will continue to perform strongly when he starts.

However, this week he's getting a rest against Argentina, so can be benched. Argentinian first-five Nicolas Sanchez ($100,200) has been similarly consistent and, importantly, performed well in wet conditions in round one. Rain is expected to again affect the test in Napier tomorrow where Sanchez could prove to be a great play.

Fellow Argentine, fullback Joaquin Tuculet ($73,000), and All Black wing Julian Savea ($146,500) have also been top-five plays but their values will be dampened if rain strikes hard tomorrow.

While it would be convenient for rain to stay away from Perth, where Australia faces South Africa, the forecast predicts otherwise, so their outside backs will be similarly hamstrung.

Israel Folau ($181,300) and Willie le Roux ($110,000) have been outstanding plays so far but Folau, in particular, could find the going tough if rain falls as he relies so much on running metres, rather than his kicking game.

My advice for this week is to choose your first-five carefully and make that player your captain. Also, expect your back row forwards to contribute a higher proportion of your points, as per round one's results.

In team selection news, Beauden Barrett ($120,900) is a solid play starting for New Zealand in place of Cruden while Ma'a Nonu ($100,200) and Israel Dagg ($99,900) return to the run-on side.

The latter two are risky plays against Argentina while Ben Smith's ($160,700) value decreases while he's playing on the wing.

For Argentina, the only notable change sees wing Manuel Montero ($61,500) drop to the bench.

South Africa have handed Morne Steyn ($203,300) his first start of the competition and he will be a great play if you can afford him.

Marcell Coetzee ($73,000) gets a chance to continue his strong fantasy form while Tendai Mtawarira ($61,500) owners will be hoping he can emulate his impressive round one performance when he gets a chance to start once more.

Australia seem to have finished with the Kurtley Beale experiment and have named Bernard Foley ($100,200) to start against the Boks.

Foley was one of the best fantasy plays in Super Rugby and could be a great pickup this round.

Another Wallaby worth trading for is Nick Phipps ($73,000) who starts in place of Nic White.

Please remember to follow all your fantasy players' performances, as they happen, in our new live match centre feature within the Fantasy Rugby Championship game.

Top pick

Nicolas Sanchez - Argentina

Value pick

Marcell Coetzee - South Africa

On the bench

Aaron Cruden - NZ (Injured)
Ryan Crotty - NZ (Injured)
Cory Jane - NZ (Dropped)
Kurtley Beale - Australia (Benched)
Nic White - Australia (Benched)
Pat McCabe - Australia (Retired from rugby)
Bismarck du Plessis - South Africa (Benched)
Damian de Allende - South Africa (Benched)
Handre Pollard - South Africa (Dropped)

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