Six Nations 2025 Fantasy Rugby news: The six best captains for Round 1
The Six Nations is just a few more sleeps away - with France vs Wales, Scotland vs Italy and Ireland vs England forming Round 1.
And with that, the Fantasy deadline is fast approaching - time to tweak and lock in those teams before Friday, January 31, at 8:15 pm UK time.
In this penultimate article before the deadline, Sports News Blitz rugby union writer Luke Ebden highlights six of the best captaincy candidates for Round 1, with a bonus section at the end previewing potential Supersubs.
What does the captain do?
Your captain earns double points for the round you captain them in, making this decision crucial for your Fantasy success.
Choosing the right captain can significantly boost your score, but getting it wrong can have a major negative impact, leaving you trailing in the standings and your mini-leagues.
Captains can make or break a round, so it’s essential to pick someone who not only consistently scores well but also has the potential for a monster haul.
Below are six of the best captaincy candidates for Round 1.
Duhan van der Merwe (19 stars)
Duhan van der Merwe is one of the standout options this week, offering multiple routes to Fantasy points.
The most obvious one is his potential to cross the try line - something he did a joint-high five times in the last championship.
On top of that, if he does make such an impact, he could win the Player of the Match award and get a crucial 15 extra points - this could see him get near to his monstrous 68 points total against England last year.
In addition, his carrying ability, defenders beaten, and offloads all contribute to his point tally.
With an average score of 27.4 points per round last year - second highest for a back-three player - he’s a reliable choice.
I expect him to be one of, if not the, most captained players in Fantasy this week.
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Thomas Ramos (19 stars)
Thomas Ramos is a top-tier Fantasy option - and he's currently wearing my armband.
He was the most consistent back-three player last year, averaging 28.8 points per match.
A large part of this was his kicking points, as France’s main kicker, earning points for conversions and penalties in addition to the usual back-three contributions.
Even in a subpar year for both him and France, Ramos remained the most reliable back-three player last year.
Going back to 2023, Ramos amassed three tries and two assists and carried the ball over 500m, on top of his kicking points.
With the return of Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack, Ramos is well-positioned to replicate these numbers.
In Round 1, he faces a Welsh team that didn’t win a game in 2024, losing all 11 matches.
While France has some injury concerns of their own, I’m confident they’ll win comfortably under the Friday night lights in Paris, scoring plenty of tries.
If that happens, Ramos should deliver a solid Fantasy haul.
Antoine Dupont (20 stars)
The second Frenchman on the list is Antoine Dupont.
Scrum-half is typically a poor scoring position in Fantasy rugby, but Dupont is the exception. His numbers are simply brilliant.
French rugby relies much more on the scrum-half than the fly-half, with much of the play coming from the 9. That’s why you’ll have heard of more French scrum-halfs - like Maxime Lucu, Nolann Le Garrec, and Baptiste Serin - than fly-halfs.
In his last championship in 2023, Dupont racked up four assists - showing the importance of the play from 9.
On top of that, he carried 255.5m, offloaded six times, and made 54 tackles. For a scrum-half, those numbers are absurd.
Due to his central role in the team, Dupont is also more likely to earn Player of the Match awards if his side performs well.
Occasionally, he shifts to fly-half later in the game, with a bench scrum-half coming on to replace the starting 10.
This elevates his points potential even further, as fly-half is naturally a more lucrative Fantasy position.
He’ll play nearly every minute in this championship, making him a very safe bet for captaincy
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Finn Russell (20 stars)
Going back to Scotland, Finn Russell is another great captaincy pick this week.
Finn Russell is the maestro who brings the Scottish team together, and he’s always involved in the points when they perform well.
Last year, he kicked 55 points, recorded three assists, and five offloads - averaging 29.2 points per game.
On top of that, he kicked from hand 31 more times than anyone else, showcasing his attacking creativity, and 50:22 potential.
With Italy first up, Russell is sure to start and pull the strings in what I have predicted will be quite the thrashing at Murrayfield.
If that happens, Russell may walk away with a huge score.
READ MORE: Six Nations 2025: Score predictions and analysis for the opening three games
Jack Dempsey (16 stars)
The only forward on my list, Jack Dempsey is a good pick for captaincy.
Scotland against Italy is certainly one of the main fixtures to target this week - hence the triple-up on Scotland players in this list.
Dempsey is an unconventional shout, but he’s more than capable of returning strong points.
As Scotland’s primary ball carrier, he made 53 carries last year.
His role with the ball will be crucial for Scotland to gain territory, which they (and Dempsey) can then convert into points.
Additionally, Dempsey is a key part of Scotland’s defensive unit, having made 64 tackles last year and securing two breakdown steals.
His influence on the match cannot be overstated, and he has the potential to rack up big points.
James Lowe (19 stars)
Finally, if you want to venture away from the two most popular fixtures, my captaincy tip for the Ireland vs England match is James Lowe.
Lowe is one of Fantasy rugby’s most consistent scorers, and despite the tricky fixture, he’s likely to be heavily captained.
Last year, Lowe averaged 27.2 points per round, thanks to four tries, 478m carried, and eight offloads.
His left boot also poses a significant threat, with a good chance of securing 50:22 points.
Lowe frequently drifts off his wing to get involved, carrying the ball and beating defenders.
While he could be a differential this week, the potential rewards are huge if it pays off.
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Bonus Section - Supersub Discussion
The Supersub is an optional 16th player on your bench.
If this player comes off the bench in real life, they earn triple points. However, if they start or don’t play at all, you get zero points.
It is a very valuable chip and must be used wisely.
This is tricky to predict as an official section, as we can’t know exactly how the benches will line up. Therefore, picking the right Supersub is a bit of a challenge.
That said, let’s take a look at some potential Supersub options for Round 1, based on predicted lineups.
My Supersub is currently backup Irish hooker Ronan Kelleher (13 stars), though this may change before the deadline.
Kelleher is a top-tier player who offers a lot around the park and in the set piece.
More importantly, he - and Ireland - are no strangers to a driving maul try.
Forwards score 15 points for a try, and with a forward as your Supersub, a try could net you 45 automatic points.
This makes a sub hooker a solid choice for Supersub, as they are often the most frequent try-scoring forwards.
The only concern with Kelleher is the minutes of Dan Sheehan; Kelleher may not come on until later in the game.
Another good shout for a Supersub is George Horne (10 stars).
The Scottish scrum-half adds a whole new dimension for Scotland when he comes on, bringing pace, creativity, and hopefully, points for our Fantasy teams.
His sniping potential could see him nick a try from the bench, or an assist, which would equate to a return from the Supersub chip.
Getting the Supersub consistently right, rather than one big score and four poor ones over the Six Nations, is better.
Horne, especially this week against Italy, offers great potential for attacking returns and could rack up a decent set of points.
Romain Taofifenua (10 stars) is another good option.
A man who seems to be a bench specialist for France, Taofifenua is a great player, and a very handy one for Fantasy too.
He normally gets decent minutes from the bench, and his work, particularly in defence, is monstrous and could result in points.
He is also a big unit and has try-scoring potential.
In the right round, he provides a good and reliable cheap Supersub.
Some other potentially good supersubs (based on predicted lineups) would be: Ollie Sleightholme (14 stars), Robbie Henshaw (14 stars), Sam Prendergast (12 stars), Jack Conan (12 stars) and Julian Marchand (13 stars).
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