The Six Nations is here once again and that means the Six Nations Fantasy Rugby game is also on the horizon.
There are prizes to be won - as well as pride at stake.
But, if you are going to get involved, it's worth digging a little deeper at the rules and regulations before you dive in.
Don't worry, we've got you covered...
How does Six Nations fantasy rugby work?
To begin with, in the official Six Nations fantasy game, you have a budget of 250 stars to assemble a starting XV - as well as three subs.
The best players can go for around 17-19 stars so you have to choose wisely to create a balanced team that’s not over budget. However, in a private league, the creator can set the amount of available stars that he wants.
You can modify team selections at any time between match rounds.
As the tournament goes on, a player’s value can fluctuate depending on their form so that can affect how you change your team.
But as long as a player's match has not started, you can add or remove him from your team in between rounds if this change is within your budget and meets other limits.
One such limit is that you are also only allowed to pick a maximum of four players from one nation - so you can’t just pack your team with one nation and be done with it.
Another limit is that each positions on the field needs to be filled. You can't just flood your team with fly-halves to scoop up the points!
Each round, you have the choice to pick a captain. Any points they score will be doubled.
On each game day, you have the opportunity to choose a Supersub from the players on your bench. Your Supersub's points will then be tripled on the day if and only if that player actually gets into the game.
If he is a starter or does not play, his points will be divided by 2 as for all other substitutes.
How are points scored in Six Nations fantasy rugby?
Obviously, Six Nations Fantasy Rugby is all about scoring points. When assembling your side, you need to be aware of how ‘team’ points and ‘individual’ points can help your cause.
Here's the breakdown of both 'team' points and 'individual' points. It's worth noting that the "Team" points are applied in proportion to the presence in the field. If a rugby player only plays half of the match, he will only get half of the "Team" points.
Team points:
| Home win | 8 points |
| Home draw | 4 points |
| Home defeat | 1 points |
| Away win | 12 points |
| Away draw | 6 points |
| Away defeat | 3 points |
| Margin of victory / defeat (per point difference) Penalty tries are part of the "team" points: they are part of the difference in points. |
+ or - 0.2 points |
'Individual' points:
| Tackles | 1 point per tackle |
| Dominant Tackles | 3 points per dominant tackle |
| Tackle-breaks | 3 points per tackle-break |
| Carried meters | 0.3 points per carried meter with the ball |
| Official Guinness Six Nations Player of the Match | 15 points |
| Try | 15 points |
| Try conversion | 3 points |
| Penalty kick | 3 points |
| Drop goal | 6 points |
| Yellow cards | -5 points |
| Red cards | -10 points |
In terms of prizes to be won, finishing first in the rankings at the end of the tournament will win you two tickets to a 2023 Six Nations match of your choice, as well as flights within Europe and one night hotel accommodation for 2 people.
And finishing first in the rankings at the end of an individual round of fixtures will land you a €100 voucher to spend in the Six Nations' online store.
What's the best Six Nations fantasy players to pick?
Obviously, it's impossible to get the best players possible in your team, given the budget and nationality constraints.
But, just for guidance, we've listed the most expensive option in each position - as well as a solid cheaper choice.
FULL-BACK
Most expensive: Stuart Hogg (Scotland - 18.0 stars)
Value player: Freddie Steward (England - 13.0 stars)
WINGS
Most expensive: Josh Adams (Wales - 17.0 stars) and Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland - 16.0 stars)
Value players: Damian Penaud (France - 15.0 stars) and Darcy Graham (Scotland - 13.0 stars)
CENTRES
Most expensive: Henry Slade (England - 17.0 stars) and Jonathan Davies (Wales - 16.0 stars)
Value players: Robbie Henshaw (Ireland - 15.0 stars) and Cameron Redpath (Scotland - 12.0 stars)
FLY-HALF
Most expensive: Romain Ntamack (France - 17.0 stars)
Value player: Paulo Garbisi (Italy - 12.0 stars)
SCRUM-HALF
Most expensive: Antoine Dupont (France - 19.0 stars)
Value player: Tomos Williams (Wales - 11.0 stars)
PROPS
Most expensive: Tadhg Furlong (Ireland - 15.0 stars) and Kyle Sinckler (England - 14.0 stars)
Value players: Wyn Jones (Wales - 13.0 stars) and Tomas Francis (Wales - 10.0 stars)
HOOKER
Most expensive: Jamie George (England - 14.0 stars)
Value player: Ronan Kelleher (Ireland - 11.0 stars)
SECOND-ROWS
Most expensive: Maro Itoje (England - 18.0 stars) and James Ryan (Ireland - 16.0 stars)
Value players: Adam Beard (Wales - 13.0 stars) and Iain Henderson (Ireland - 14.0 stars)
BACK-ROW
Most expensive: Hamish Watson (Scotland - 17.0 stars), Tom Curry (England - 16.0 stars) and Gregory Alldritt (France - 16.0 stars)
Value player: Ellis Jenkins (Wales - 10.0 stars), Josh van der Flier (13.0 stars) and Taine Basham (Wales - 11.0 stars)
Want the latest Welsh rugby news sent straight to you? Look no further.
