Rugby World Cup Fantasy top 20 scorers & best XV from opening weekend

Dylan Coetzee
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Split with Hinckley Vaovasa (Romania), Bundee Aki (Ireland) and Mark Telea (New Zealand)

Split with Hinckley Vaovasa (Romania), Bundee Aki (Ireland) and Mark Telea (New Zealand)

The first weekend of the Rugby World Cup has already finished, and it was a memorable set of fixtures loaded with beautiful tries and excellent skill.

Of course, what comes from these Tests is impressive individual performances that result in points for the World Cup Fantasy game. Planet Rugby gives you the top 20 points-scorers from the weekend and a best-performing XV.

Top 20

=20. (49 points): Two players finished with the same points tally, with French hooker Peato Mauvaka and Georgian fly-half Luka Matkava being rewarded for fairly strong performances, albeit a losing one in the latter’s case.

19. (50 points): A second-half cameo from the flying Irishman Mack Hansen resulted in a strong points haul as his side ran riot against Romania.

=17. (51 points): This spot is shared by two hard-working back-rowers, Michael Leitch of Japan, and man of the match for Ireland, Peter O’Mahony, who managed a cheeky brace of tries against the Oaks.

16. (52 points): Winger Damian Penaud is a silky smooth operator who is almost always on hand to cross the line for Les Bleus, as he did in their crucial opening win against the All Blacks.

=12. (54 points): Four players share this spot, all of whom performed brilliantly for their side. Fly-half Paolo Garbisi was conducting the Italian orchestra as they dominated Namibia, whilst Irish full-back Hugo Keenan continued his outstanding form from the backfield. Welsh centre George North rolled back the years with a crucial try against Fiji, whilst Semi Radradra was inspired for his country.

=10. (55 points): Lighting fast, Louis Rees-Zammit made the most of his time on the field, scoring a try in Wales’ win. Meanwhile, veteran fly-half and Ireland skipper Johnny Sexton made a stunning return complete with a brace and seven conversions.

9. (57 points): Mark Nawaqanitawase, or ‘Marky Mark’ as the Australian is known, had another blockbuster outing in Wallaby gold, and his try underlined his value.

=7. (59 points): Two Irishmen feature, with centre Garry Ringrose having lit up the Romanian backline with the tireless Tadhg Beirne and his late try notching up the same points tally.

6. (60 points): After being denied twice, Ireland second-row Joe McCarthy managed to get over the line for his first Test try. He was everywhere on Saturday and deserved the reward.

5. (63 points): Despite his team being on the wrong end of an 80-point scoreline, Romanian fly-half Hinckley Vaovasa was a shining light and put in a good shift for his side.

4. (66 points): Japanese forward Amato Fakatava had a blinder against Chile as the big man bagged a brace in stunning fashion, powering himself near the top of this list.

3. (75 points): Ben Donaldson covered himself in gold in his first Test start at full-back, scoring two tries and being accurate from the tee all game long. A performance he will never forget.

2. (90 points): A player who will probably remain near the top throughout the tournament is Mark Telea of the All Blacks, who is very prolific and was s0 again on Friday. Couple that with his ability to beat defenders, and there is a points machine.

1. (113 points): There were so many great performances, but none better than Bundee Aki, who scored two tries, made over 100 metres and had a whopping five clean breaks to earn the most points.

Top four performers per position

Props

Taniela Tupou (Aus) – 41
Beka Gigashvili (Geo) – 33
Gareth Thomas (Wal) – 30
Thomas Francis (Wal) – 29

Hooker

Peato Mauvaka (Fra) – 49
Jamie George (Eng) – 39
Diego Escobar (Chi) – 37
Eliott Dee (Wal) – 35

Second-row

Amato Fakatava (Jap) – 66
Joe McCarthy (Ire) – 60
Tadhg Beirne (Ire) – 59
Will Rowlands (Wal) – 48

Back-row

Peter O’Mahony (Ire) – 51
Michael Leitch (Jap) – 51
Lorenzo Cannone (Ita) – 48
Manuel Zuliani (Ita) – 46

Scrum-half

Conor Murray (Ire) – 37
Yutaka Nagare (Jap) – 35
Jamison Gibson-Park (Ire) – 32
Antoine Dupont (Fra) – 28

Fly-half

Ben Donaldson (Aus) – 75
Hinckley Vaovasa (Rom) – 63
Johnny Sexton (Ire) – 55
Paolo Garbisi (Ita) – 54

Centre

Bundee Aki (Ire) – 113
Garry Ringrose (Ire) – 59
Semi Radradra (Fiji) – 54
Nick Tompkins (Wal) – 44

Outside backs

Mark Telea (NZ) – 90
Mark Nawaqanitawase (Aus) – 57
Louis Rees-Zammit (Wal) – 55
Hugo Keenan (Ire) – 54

Best performing XV

Rugby World Cup fantasy top performing XV (first weekend)

READ MORE: Rugby World Cup: The best and worst performing goal kickers and their stats

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