Rugby World Cup Fantasy cheat sheet: Bargain buys in every position

Jared Wright
Add as a preferred source on Google
Rugby World Cup Fantasy: Ange Capuozzo (Italy), Waisea Nayacalevu (Fiji) and Julian Montoya (Argentina)

Bargain buys to consider for your Fantasy team.

The Rugby World Cup 2023 Fantasy League is here, and it provides fans with several headaches as to how to fit all the stars in one team.

Planet Rugby attempts to ease those headaches by picking out bargain buys in each position to free up your budget elsewhere.

Several hidden gems are littered throughout the game, so take advantage of them.

Outside backs

Damian Penaud and Makazole Mapimpi are lethal finishers, but both cost ten credits.

There are great options for half the price in Italy’s trio of Paolo Odogwu (4.5), Monty Ioane (5), and Ange Capuozzo (5).

Tonga’s Charles Piutau will cost 5.5 credits as will Japan’s Kotaro Matsushima.

Don’t miss out on Argentina’s brilliant Emiliano Boffelli (7), who doubles up as a lethal attacker out wide and one of the most accurate placekickers in the game.

Centres

Ten per cent of your budget could easily go to the box-office talents of Gael Fickou, Rieko Ioane or Semi Radradra.

However, some fine candidates could well outscore them.

Jonathan Danty is set to miss the opening game against New Zealand, and if you are backing the French midfield to dominate, one of Yoram Moefana (7.5) or Arthur Vincent (7) would be great picks.

Radradra’s likely centre partner and captain, Waisea Nayacalevu, is three credits cheaper and arguably a better pick on potential earnings.

Georgia’s Merab Sharikadze (7) is a tackling machine, having made 23 without missing against Scotland in his final game before the World Cup, and the Lelos captain is no slouch on attack either.

Samoa have good options in La Rochelle star UJ Seuteni, who costs 6.5 credits, and Duncan Paia’aua comes in at the same price and could even play fullback for Manu Samoa during the tournament.

Fly-halves

Fly-halves will be your premium buy due to their points potential. The top four most expensive players are all fly-halves, but that doesn’t mean you need to break the bank to get Finn Russell, Johnny Sexton, Richie Mo’unga or Matthieu Jalibert.

Australia’s Carter Gordon is likely to start the important games for the Wallabies and take the kicking duties. He comes in at a respectable nine credits.

Similarly, Paolo Garbisi is just 8.5 credits, while Fiji’s Caleb Muntz (7.5) is also a tantalising option.

South Africa’s Damian Willemse is unlikely to start at fly-half but could be picked at fullback, which could earn several points for attacking play.

Finally, Luka Matkava is a steal at seven credits if you are backing Georgia to cause a few upsets.

Scrum-halves

So many managers will jump at the opportunity to snap up Antoine Dupont (11 credits), and understandably so.

However, suppose you want to go against the grain. In that case, there are excellent options that include Wales’ number nine Tomos Williams (six credits), Azzruri’s Stephen Varney (five credits), and Uruguay’s Santiago Arata (seven credits).

Georgia’s Gela Aprasidze (seven credits) is also a fine pick and a potential placekicker, even if it is just the long-range shots. Tonga’s Tane Takulua (five credits) and Portugal’s Samuel Marques (4.5) are placekickers for their nations.

Loose forwards

Top-end loose forwards will cost around 7 to 7.5 credits, which is one of the cheaper positions. However, if are still looking to save some credits, there are plenty of great options.

Vaea Fifita comes in at a measly 3.5 credits, and while Tonga have a tough opening three fixtures, he could still rack up a great tally. Keep him in mind for the Romania game at the end of the pools.

Italy captain Michele Lamaro is a bargain at 4.5 credits as is Georgia’s powerful number eight Tornika Jalagonia at 5.5.

For the same price that you’d pay for the Georgian loose forward is Los Pumas’ Pablo Matera, England’s Jack Willis, Samoa’s Jordan Taufua, and Australia’s Tom Hooper.

If you are keen on capitalising on Italy’s clash with Namibia, then Sebastian Negri could be a great shout at five credits.

Other back rowers from the likes of Chile, Nambia, Romania and Portugal are priced from two to three credits.

Locks

Eben Etzebeth costs a hefty nine credits, but you can get some great alternatives to the Springbok behemoth, some even less than half his price.

There is some risk if you go to the extreme, though. Tonga’s Adam Coleman has yet to debut, having switched nations from Australia, but he is a tempting prospect at just 3.5 credits. He is, however, prone to a red, having been sent off twice for London Irish last season.

Still, Los Pumas star Guido Petti is a great value at just four credits as is Italy’s Dino Lamb at five.

Staying with Argentina, Marcos Kremer is listed as a lock despite playing most of his rugby in the back row. He, too, is a risk for a potential red card, having just come off a ban, but he is an extremely hard-working defender who could rack up 15 tackles a game quite easily.

Kremer will set you back six credits, and for the same price, you could get Saracens and Samoa superstar Theo McFarland. The forward is a walking highlights reel who could earn points in just about every facet of the game. With Manu Samoa the favourites in their opener against Chile, McFarland could be a great alternative to the higher-priced locks.

Hookers

The price tags for hookers are higher than their fellow front rowers, and that has to do with the likelihood of them scoring from driving mauls.

Malcolm Marx and Jamie George could rack up the points with their ability to grab tries, but their ten credit price makes them difficult to fit into a squad.

Alternatively, Argentina captain Julian Montoya is a tempting offer at 7.5, particularly considering the fact that he scored a hattrick in the 2019 World Cup.

Los Pumas do have a challenging start to the tournament going up against England, so a player like Italy’s Giacomo Nicotera (5.5) could be a smart pick as Italy tackles Namibia in their opening game.

A wild card pick would be Uruguay’s German Kessler (4.5). They have France first up, which may not be ideal, but going further into the tournament, he is bound to latch onto a maul try or rack up a big tackle count.

Props

Tadhg Furlong and Steven Kitshoff are the most expensive props in the game at 6.5 credits. While many Fantasy managers will be looking to get one or both of the props in their team, several cut-price alternatives could even outscore the pair.

Props who are busy in open play can earn points from tries, try assists, turns forced, tackles made, defenders beaten and offloads. And if you get a prop that will likely play over 60 minutes, you will earn an extra point!

Taking all that into consideration, Wallabies loosehead prop Angus Bell is an absolute steal at 4.5 credits. He has played over 60 minutes twice in his last three starts for the Wallabies and has gained over 30 metres on two occasions, too (an extra three points). Likewise for, Argentina prop Thomas Gallo, who is the same price as Bell and has also nailed down the starting jumper for Los Pumas, he also very involved all over the pitch and often plays deep into the second half.

Italy’s Ivan Nemer is another player to consider, particularly with his low price of 3 credits.

READ MORE: Rugby World Cup Pool D: Meet the head coaches in charge of each nation

Argentina