The Rugby Magazine - Fantasy Rugby

[Scrumhead]

My team is going to be absolutely screwed this weekend! None of my Exeter players and none of my Bristol players have been picked and a bunch of my other players are on the bench (Genge, Hoskins, etc.). So far, I only have 4 players starting although the Quins and Bath teams might help me.

Decimated ...

I think my squad must just be odd - I could get 14 starters and a bench of greys even before the Quins, Glaws, Bath, and Sale teams are announced. Was able to be fairly relaxed in my transfers this week - finally managed to get rid of Odogwu after transferring him out for three weeks in a row and then having to transfer him back in as selection problems meant I had to ditch someone more expensive to get an XXIII out.

Puja

My problem is I have a lot of starters and not very many ‘squad players’. If the remaining teams are kind to me, I may be able to scrape an XV together. The absolute best case is that I’ll need 4 players. Even then I’ll have very little points coming from my bench.

[Puja]

My back row selection has shades of England squad choices - I've got Willis, Willis, BCurry, Hill all available and starting and I don't know which combo to go for! And that's ignoring that I've got Dombrandt and Polledri whose teams are unhelpfully not being named till Monday!

Puja

[Scrumhead]

Gloucester and Quins are playing on Monday so surely they’ll be named tomorrow? Obviously not much time before the 12.30 kick off though.

Wasps are playing a weak Bristol lineup so if I had those options, I’d almost certainly have the Willis brothers starting. I’d also pick Polledri if he’s starting. Toss up for Hill or Curry on the bench and you can always play Dombrandt at lock or put him on the bench spot for a lock if he’s playing.

[Puja]

Gloucester and Quins are playing on Monday so surely they’ll be named tomorrow? Obviously not much time before the 12.30 kick off though.

Wasps are playing a weak Bristol lineup so if I had those options, I’d almost certainly have the Willis brothers starting. I’d also pick Polledri if he’s starting. Toss up for Hill or Curry on the bench and you can always play Dombrandt at lock or put him on the bench spot for a lock if he’s playing.

Gloucester local paper reckons teams named on Monday. Could just be local journalism though.

Yeah, I've gone for both Willises and Hill, with Curry on the bench. Will decide on Polledri when I see what Quins side is out.

I've got choices galore in the pack this week - 5 starting props, 2 starting hookers and 2 bench, 3 starting locks (not including Dombrandt), 4 starting back row (not counting Tuisue who's a lock for me, Dombrandt or Polledri).

Of course, all that having choice means is that I'm going to pick the wrong ones.

Puja

[Scrumhead]

It would be unusual to name the teams on the day of the game. Really messes me up too because those two lineups will be critical in me knowing where I need to invest. If my Gloucester and Quins players are starting, I can spend elsewhere. If not, it’ll be a complete guess ...

[Puja]

It would be unusual to name the teams on the day of the game. Really messes me up too because those two lineups will be critical in me knowing where I need to invest. If my Gloucester and Quins players are starting, I can spend elsewhere. If not, it’ll be a complete guess ...

Teams are up!

Puja

[Scrumhead]

Yes - and thankfully selection was kind to me!

Managed to get out 14 starters + Genge and a bench (mostly of actual subs) and didn’t need to drop points.

I’m not expecting a stellar week, but shouldn’t be horrific either.

[switchskier]

How exactly does Umaga end up on 4 points after playing fly half in a 9 try victory? The scoring baffles me sometimes.

[Scrumhead]

I felt the same, but if you look at his actual stats, it doesn’t look like he was particularly involved. Only 4 metres made and 8 passes and also missed a number of tackles.

If it’s any consolation, a lot of people picked him too. Me included.

A deeply average week for me so far, where pretty much every 50/50 decision I made was the wrong one. Seems to be a ongoing theme which has seen me drop like a stone to 40th ...

[Peej]

I've had a poor week, salvaged only by some good performances from Rowlands, Obano and Spencer. But all my tactical choices - captain, kicker etc - were pretty bad. I didn't even have a full team out, and Mercer's late withdrawal didn't help. Hoping Thorley and Rees-Zammit can give me a late boost

[Scrumhead]

Again, similar for me. I’ve got Young, Marchant, Thorley and Rees-Zammit starting with Dombrandt or Steele on my bench. I need about 120 points from them to have an average week, which is just about do-able.

It won’t help me in the league though because the world and his dog have the Gloucester back three picked.

[Peej]

Bloody hell, will be some interesting choices with this game round lasting more than a week

[Shiny]

Threw me at first too but its not so bad as its only the players from tonight's game that are locked in after the match. Everyone else is free to be changed up until their games kick off.

[Scrumhead]

Yeah. The challenge is do you go for players you know are starting today or gamble on rotation going your way next week ...

I only have Thorley, Stuart and Matavesi in my squad from Gloucester or Bath so I don’t have much riding on today’s game anyway really ...

[Peej]

Yeah, it definitely affects who you offload and then might bring in.

I've brought Stuart in, have kept Thorley. I have LRZ, but I might just off load him. I think (famous last words) that I have enough cover across the backline from the later games

[Peej]

Bloody hell, picking a team for this round is impossible. If teams don't get released until tomorrow, no idea how big a gamble to take with selection.

[Shiny]

Bloody hell, picking a team for this round is impossible. If teams don't get released until tomorrow, no idea how big a gamble to take with selection.

I am in the same position. Aside form juggling that its working out who played in Europe and wont be playing this week.

[Scrumhead]

Yeah - I was hoping they might all be released en masse today. Clearly not ...

I don’t have any Saracens players and I’m sort of banking on Exeter and Bristol rotating but who knows?

Most of my locks (Hill, Vui and Holmes) are TBC, so I think I’m going to have to go with starting Glen Young tonight, purely on the basis that he is definitely playing.

[Peej]

I'm having a terrible round!

[Puja]

I had Dombrandt on the bench and I'm giving very serious consideration to selecting a lock who isn't playing and thus having him autopromoted to the starting XV. He scored 45 points, so doing that would gain me an extra 22 - will my chosen lock starter get me that or am I better picking Kpoku who isn't playing?

Puja

[Peej]

This is devious manipulation of the rules.... and I like it

[Shiny]

Not for this season but in many places I am hearing that the England players will be unavailable next season for something like 11 out of the first 14 games. Could make squad selections for next season a good deal cheaper for some.

[Scrumhead]

That would make sense. Although to be fair, I don’t generally pick England players in my squad anyway.

This week’s going to be a crappy one for me. Several sub par scores and I think I dropped a bollock on the captain choice. I meant to go for Willis (who is currently my highest scoring player) and forgot to do it so now I’ve taken a gamble, I doubt will pay off to the extent I need it to.

[Shiny]

Yeah, I think a lot of people will be posting lower than average this week. I have gaps with my starting 15 but at least I still have 4 players yet to start tonight (including my captain) and 3 starters on the bench.

[Peej]

What's the craic with playoffs? Is it unlimited transfers, or an increase?