Fantasy Rugby: Stars beginning to shine

Israel Folau and Willie Le Roux have been outstanding plays so far but Folau in particular could find the going tough if rain falls in Perth. Photo /Getty

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

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 five eighths.

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.

Argentinean 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 on Saturday where Sanchez could prove to be a great play.

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

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

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 would be 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 winger Manuel Montero ($61,500) drop to the bench.

South Africa have handed Morne Steyn ($203,300) his first start of the competition and 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 as 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 brand new live match centre feature within the Fantasy Rugby Championship game.

Also, listen to Radio Sport every week on a Thursday after 6pm to hear Dr Stats chat with D'Arcy Waldegrave about the latest fantasy news and advice.

Top Pick:
Nicolas Sanchez, Argentina

Value Pick:
Marcell Coetzee, South Africa

On the bench:
Aaron Cruden, New Zealand (rested)
Ryan Crotty, New Zealand (dropped)
Cory Jane, New Zealand (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)
Manuel Montero, Argentina (benched)