With the opening weekend done and dusted, managers should have a better idea of what to expect from here on in, but we’re on hand to offer some advice just in case.
Last weekend may have lacked the impact and wow factor of the first round of last season’s Six Nations but there was still plenty to get excited about, not least a performance from Ireland that left plenty of room for improvement and England losing in the cruellest way possible in the Stade de France. How sad we were. Honest.
As far as The Irish Times Fantasy Rugby League is concerned, in a tournament as short as the Six Nations, form and momentum must be spotted and exploited quickly and there were a few things that stood out from the three games that could prove crucial later on.
Ireland v Wales
First of all, the potential is there for this to be a really good tournament for Ireland. Joe Schmidt’s men were solid and nothing more against a poor Scots side on Sunday but no team looked anywhere near flawless and the way the fixtures are set up could well play into our hands.
Individually, Rob Kearney is playing as well as he has in a long time of late and we would be surprised if his try on Sunday is the last he scores in the tournament. Similarly, Jonathan Sexton looks like a man determined to make an impression after a few difficult months in France and we would be surprised if Peter O’Mahony doesn’t pick up at least one man of the match award over the course of the tournament.
Although last season’s encounter was something of a score-fest, we expect it to be tighter this weekend and that the man of the match will come from either of the respective packs. Returning captains Sam Warburton and Paul O’Connell are decent bets, as is the aforementioned O’Mahony, along with Alun Wyn Jones. Don’t rule out Brian O’Driscoll putting in a big performance, meanwhile; he might not want a big deal made out of the reunion with Warren Gatland, but his last game against Wales will mean an awful lot.
Scotland v England
We’re assuming that the majority of managers went with Leigh Halfpenny as kicker last weekend and it might not be the worst idea to switch it to Owen Farrell, who looks the safest bet of all the kickers this weekend. Farrell’s toes will be sore from all the kicking he’ll do against the Scots on Saturday and we can see him having more successful kicks at goal than Sexton, Halfpenny, Greig Laidlaw, Tommy Allan and Jean-Marc Doussain.
Elsewhere for Stuart Lancaster’s men, Billy Vunipola was everywhere on Saturday night and looks like a good choice, as does Luther Burrell, who looked very lively in his first start. Danny Care, meanwhile, was millimetres away from scoring a try and if in the mood this weekend, he’ll make up for that miss at Murrayfield.
For the Scots, it’s hard to read much, if anything at all, into last weekend’s limp display at the Aviva. Pride should dictate that they play better in front of their home crowd but apart from the talented Stuart Hogg, we’re not entirely sure who might make an impact, although Chris Fusaro will be keen to make an impression on his debut.
France v Italy
In the last game of the weekend, meanwhile, France may not be all that at the moment but when they are in the mood they are still capable of playing some irresistible rugby and in Yoann Huget, they have a player who is brimming with confidence at the moment. With Italy to come in the Stade de France on Sunday, we imagine he’ll prove very popular with managers ahead of this weekend.
Although it was of no consolation to them, losing by eight points to Wales was no mean achievement on Italy’s part. Michele Campagnaro took his brace of tries very well and should be bouncing into the Stade de France and the ever excellent Sergio Parisse probably should have added another and is normally good for one man-of-the-match performance a season.
