Fantasy Super Rugby

Fantasy Rugby works like most fantasy sports games, such as baseball or football. Team managers assemble a virtual team by buying players from an actual competition, in this case Super Rugby. Those players are then assigned points based on their actual contribution to the game. All of the team manager's player points are tallied, giving the total amount of Fantasy Rugby points for the round. Naturally, the idea is to accumulate more points than the other team managers.

For more information about the sport of rugby union, read this article.

Obviously things like the competition draw, player injuries, form and non-selection can complicate life for a team manager, so usually you are allocated a certain amount of trades. You only have a limited amount of money too, so team managers can't fill their teams with super stars like Dan Carter and Richie McCaw.

The great thing about playing fantasy rugby union is how many different ways players can accumulate points and contribute to your fantasy team. For example, an attacking player can get points with line and tackle breaks or by scoring tries or try assists. Good defensive players can get points through tackles and turnovers. Points are also allocated for lineout throws and takes. Players can also lose your team points through sloppy play, such as losing the ball or giving away a penalty.

Super Rugby is a great competition. It has many of the best players playing the most exciting, athletic and fastest brand of rugby available. It is also a very even competition these days, so it is even more difficult to load up your fantasy team with players from a strong team about to deal to a weak team. Super Rugby, formerly the Super 12 and Super 14, is made up of three conferences, one each from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. Each conference has five teams who play each other twice and most of the teams from the other conferences once. Teams accumulate points for wins and bonus points for losses less than seven points and for scoring four or more tries. The top team from each conference and the next three teams with the most points contest the finals. The New Zealand teams are the Blues, Chiefs, Hurricanes, Crusaders and Highlanders. The Australia teams are the Reds, Waratahs, Rebels, Western Force and Brumbies. The South Africa teams are the Bulls, Sharks, Stormers, Lions and Cheetahs.

The advantage Fantasy Super Rugby has over international fantasy rugby competitions in the amount of new players you have to pick from. If you are competing in the Six Nations or the Rugby Championship there are usually only the best and most established players to choose from, which means they are expensive. However, in Fantasy Super Rugby you get to play rugby scout, hunting for the next big thing, and there are always plenty of bargains to be found.

There are number of Fantasy Super Rugby competitions available. Two popular ones are TestRugby and Fox Sports, so give it a try!

For helpful tips, read this article about the Ten Commandments of Fantasy Rugby. To learn more about rugby.

The most striking thing about Fantasy Rugby 2012 has been the number of new players setting the competition alight. After a World Cup, like last year, a big player exodus is usual, which allows for new players to come onto the scene. However, the class of 2012 have taken to this level like ducks to water. Many of the victorious New Zealand Under 20 team who won the Junior World Championship in Italy last year have dominated for the respective franchises. Players like Brodie Retallick and Ben Tameifuna in the Chiefs and Beauden Barrett and TJ Perenara for the Hurricanes have stormed into All Black reckoning. Australia have a new breed of openside flankers, such as the Reds’ Liam Gill, nipping at David Pocock’s heals. South Africa have some ominous first fives (number tens) coming through, such as Johan Goosen and Elton Jantjies.

Many of these players represented excellent value in the 2012 Super Rugby competition. For example, Brodie Retallick (click for profile) only costs $600,000 in TestRugby, but always scores around 200 points. Johan Goosen only costs $612,500 and scores an average of 334 points per game! For $605,000, Willie Le Roux will also score nearly 300 points a game too. The 2012 Fantasy Super Rugby tournament has been the year of Taumalolo. As a prop, Sona Taumalolo would normally be nowhere near the top point scorers. However, this season Taumalolo has discovered a penchant for the tryline. He is currently at the top of the try scoring table with nine tries!

The Top Ten Scorers for Fantasy Super Rugby 2012:

1. Aaron Cruden
2. Bismarck du Plessis
3. Stephen Moore
4. Sonny Bill Williams
5. Adriaan Strauss
6. Peter Grant
7. Keegan Daniel
8. Hosea Gear
9. Adam Thomson
10. Israel Dagg

The top ten scorers for 2012 show first fives and hookers featuring prominently. Three of the top five positions are held by wearers of the number two jersey - du Plessis, Moore and Strauss. Impressively, Moore and Strauss played fewer games than the other people in the top five. There are two outside backs in Gear and Dagg, and a couple of loose forwards in Daniel and Thomson. Sonny Bill Williams, who was a juggernaut point scorer, was the only midfielder. There are no props or locks in the top ten. In fact in 2012, no props or locks made the top twenty, nor did any other midfielder.

Four of the spots from 10-20 were taken up by outside backs, with another three loose forwards.

By the way, the Chiefs won!

The Chiefs won their first ever tournament, thrashing the Sharks in Hamilton. They won't have Sonny Bill Williams next year, who is returning to league. As their most valuable play in 2012 it will be challenging to replace him.

Tune in next year for the 2013 tournament!