Six Nations Fantasy Rugby news: Luke Ebden’s fantasy team for the opening weekend

The Six Nations gets underway this weekend, with France and Wales kicking things off tonight at the Stade de France.

That game starts at 8:15 UK time, which is also the deadline to pick your fantasy team for the first round, so head on over to the Six Nations Fantasy Game website to pick your team now.

Once you have selected a team, make sure to join the Sports News Blitz + RugbyAnalyst combined mini-league (see links below).

In this article, Sports News Blitz writer Luke Ebden reveals his fantasy team for the opening round.

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Sports News Blitz will be providing extensive coverage of fantasy rugby all through the upcoming Six Nations.

We encourage you to create a team and join our fantasy rugby mini-league in collaboration with the RugbyAnalyst on YouTube. Please join ONE of our leagues using the links below.

Remember that time is running out to submit your team, with the deadline being the start of tonight’s game between France and Wales at 8:15 pm (UK Time).

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A GUIDE TO FANTASY RUGBY: Six Nations Fantasy Rugby news: What is it and how does it work?

Props

My props for the opening weekend are Henry Thomas (7 stars) and Danilo Fischetti (12 stars).

Thomas is the cheapest starter in the game and that’s pretty much his sole reason for being in my team. I don’t have high expectations for him, to be fair. He is simply very cheap and allows me to free up funds for elsewhere in my team.

Fischetti, on the other hand, has been a lock for me since the game launched. Props usually don’t score well, but Fischetti is one of the best in that regard. He averaged 13.8 points per game last year, very high for a prop, and could emulate that again.

With Mirco Spagnolo injured, I expect Fischetti to play the full 80 minutes or at least close to it, and those extra minutes will make him worth the extra stars.

Hooker

My hooker for the first round is Peato Mauvaka (15 stars).

Mauvaka is one of those new-breed hookers, lightning fast all over the pitch and excelling in defensive turnovers. He makes my team for a couple of reasons.

First, he’s in a French team playing Wales. It’s likely that the French will be kicking for the corners with the aim of scoring lots of tries, thus increasing the chance of a driving maul try. Second, France are sure to have lots of the ball, meaning that Mauvaka should be involved in a fair bit of ball carrying, which translates to more points.

If the game is tighter than expected, he almost functions as another back rower and will then pick up some good defensive points. All in all, Mauvaka is a great all-round pick.

The only other man in my thinking was Dan Sheehan (18 stars) but, with the news of his benching, it's a simple choice to go for Mauvaka in the end.

Second row

My second row consists of Dino Lamb (8 stars) and Tadhg Beirne (17 stars).

Lamb is the cheapest second rower, a position that is also notoriously low scoring. That said, he is a top-tier player and one of the best bargains in the game, so I fully expect him to outperform his price tag.

Given Scotland are likely to have the ball against Italy, he could produce a good defensive shift. I don’t think anyone above him will outscore him drastically enough that they become worth the extra stars, save for the other second rower in my team.

Beirne is one of fantasy rugby’s very best, and one of the first people I picked. He is nothing short of a points magnet, averaging 28.8 points per game last year, which is over ten points more per game than the next best second rower.

He is, simply put, the best option in the second row as his price tag attests.

READ MORE: Six Nations Fantasy Game news: Best player for every position in 2025

Back row

My back row is Caelan Doris (18 stars), Matt Fagerson (14 stars), and Gregory Alldritt (17 stars).

Alldritt has been in my team since the first minute. He is a phenomenal player and, although he underperformed last year, his historical stats are monstrous.

Far and away France’s best forward, he serves as the main ball carrier for the French team and, with conductor Antoine Dupont returning to take the captaincy off his shoulders, Alldritt should flourish again.

Doris is a man I was very keen to free up some budget for as I originally had Lorenzo Cannone (14 stars). While Cannone is great and will almost certainly be in my next team, Doris is a class above.

The Irish talisman is a world-class player, as he has shown time and time again, including last July in South Africa. A machine with ball in hand, he also makes more tackles and gets involved in more rucks than any other Irishman. I was desperate to fit him in.

I originally had Jack Dempsey (16 stars) in here and even considered him for captain. However, he has been named on the bench for Scotland, meaning that I am going with Fagerson instead.

Deciding whether I wanted Fagerson or Rory Darge (14 stars) was a tricky call, to be honest, and one I might even make a U-turn on by the deadline. In the end, I chose Fagerson by considering why I wanted Dempsey initially. 

Scotland will have a lot of the ball against Italy, and Dempsey is usually their main carrier. That responsibility now falls to Fagerson. Moreover, with only one loose forward named on the bench, Jamie Ritchie is most likely to be subbed. Fagerson would then move to 6, securing some solid minutes and posing a threat with ball in hand.

Scrum-half

Quite simply, it’s Antoine Dupont (20 stars).

Regular readers will know how highly I rate Dupont both as a player and a fantasy rugby option. His stats are obscene for a scrum-half.

Scrum-halves typically score very poorly, but Dupont is a cut above the rest. I briefly considered downgrading him to spread funds around elsewhere but, with France playing Wales at home, I couldn’t do it. Instead, I’ve pulled funds from fly-half.

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Fly-half

I originally had Finn Russell (20 stars) at fly-half, but I’ve downgraded to Sam Prendergast (12 stars) to allow for more funds elsewhere.

Russell would be a phenomenal option, especially this week. But picking a starting Irish fly-half for 12 stars is too appealing. Prendergast is a sensational talent, and while Russell might end up outscoring him, I don't think it’ll be by 8 stars’ worth.

It’s all about the upgrades I’ve made elsewhere in my team. Not having Russell will make watching the Scotland game on Saturday very scary, though.

Centres

I’ve gone for Stafford McDowall (8 stars) and Huw Jones (16 stars) – the Scottish double-up.

Due to Sione Tuipulotu’s injury, McDowall deputises at 12 for Scotland, an area where he has done very well in the past. He thus offers a cheap route into the Scottish backline for what should be a good fixture.

Jones is far and away the best centre in fantasy rugby. Last year, he averaged 25 points per game (putting him in the top 5 for centres), grabbed three assists, carried for 327 metres, and managed six offloads.

With Tuipulotu out, one of these two needs to step up and dominate the midfield for Scotland. As a result, I’m backing a Scottish midfield double-up for the game against Italy this week.

Back three

My back three is Cadan Murley (10 stars), Duhan van der Merwe (19 stars), and Thomas Ramos (19 stars).

Murley wasn’t someone I really considered until the line-ups came out – I actually had Mack Hansen (14 stars). However, I’ve decided I want another Irish asset elsewhere and, remember, you can only pick four players per nation.

Murley thus represents an exciting option for a cheap price. He will likely provide a much-needed extra ball carrier, as he does for Harlequins, when coming off the wing looking for work. With electric pace and power, similar to Jack Nowell, Murley may offer a great threat.

In contrast, Ramos is Mr Consistent, averaging 28.8 points per game last year thanks to his kicking points. The first player I picked, he poses plenty of threat in open play and may even end the match at fly-half. Ramos is class above the rest and a very simple pick for me.

Originally, I had Darcy Graham (16 stars) as a cheaper alternative to Van der Merwe. However, whilst Graham is a great winger, Van der Merwe is a cut above, and downgrading Russell has given me the opportunity to own him.

Van der Merwe is also a try-scoring machine – he was joint-top scorer last year with five tries – and offers many routes to gaining points. He is one of the best wingers in fantasy rugby and this is the easiest game in the championship for him, so I expect that he’ll return good points.

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Captain

My armband is currently on Thomas Ramos (19 stars).

He is arguably the conservative, boring pick. However, Ramos offers consistent and reliable points and a good attacking threat, particularly in this game against Wales. He’s had my armband since the moment he entered my team, and I’m 99% confident he’s going to keep it.

Supersub

Supersub is the one position you can’t really plan for until you’ve seen the teams as it’s about looking at the benches and seeing who is the best option.

This week, the standout option for me is Dan Sheehan (18 stars). He is a huge talent and will surely be the Lions hooker come the summer. Indeed, Ireland have missed him greatly whilst he’s been out, suffering big lineout problems in November.

He certainly would have started if fully fit but is clearly still on the mend after coming back from a serious injury. Yet, while his fitness remains a slight concern, he wouldn’t be on the bench if he was unable to play, so I expect him to get some good minutes. 

Other good supersub options, if you don’t have the budget for Sheehan, are George Horne (10 stars), Jack Conan (12 stars), and Emilien Gailleton (11 stars).

Luke Ebden’s fantasy team for opening round

Danilo Fischetti (12 stars), Peato Mauvaka (15 stars), Henry Thomas (7 stars), Dino Lamb (8 stars), Tadhg Beirne (17 stars), Caelan Doris (18 stars), Matt Fagerson (14 stars), Gregory Alldritt (17 stars), Antoine Dupont (20 stars), Sam Prendergast (12 stars), Duhan van der Merwe (19 stars), Stafford McDowall (8 stars), Huw Jones (16 stars), Cadan Murley (10 stars), Thomas Ramos (c) (19 stars), Dan Sheehan (18 stars)

Disclaimer: This is my team as it stands and is still subject to minor changes.

MORE FROM LUKE EBDEN: Six Nations 2025: Score predictions and analysis for the opening three games