Mike Tindall makes Guinness Six Nations Fantasy Rugby Round 1 ...

“England, again I don’t really know what Steve Borthwick’s going to bring. Is he going to free them up a bit? We need to see that creativity back. There are big questions around Twickenham but I am going to stick with them. We’ve then got what I assume will be a win for France on Sunday.

“With fantasy you always want to get the winning players in your team if you can, so mine is going to be mainly full of French, English and Irish players.”

Backs

Having predicted wins for France and England, players from both those nations feature heavily in Tindall’s picks for backs, though there are some other interesting picks to note.

He commented: “I’ve gone for Thomas Ramos. With France playing Italy I think they’re going to score some outside, so a lot of my backs are French.

“We’ve got Ramos at 15, I’ve also got Ange Capuozzo –  you have to have him after last year, that video of him setting up the last-minute try to sink Wales – he deserves to be in and hopefully we’ll see him at his exciting best. Then I’ve got Mack Hansen as well.

“In the centre I’ve gone for Joe Marchant. He’s played fantastically well and deserves his shot, so hopefully he’ll go well. Then you’ve got Yoram Moefana in the centre as well – I think he’ll score a few.

“Antoine Dupont, it’s the perfect game for him, he could bag a couple – he’s also my captain. And then I’ve got Marcus Smith at 10.

“I’m hoping to see Marcus with some freedom, and out of all the 10s he likes scoring, so hopefully he’ll get us some points.”

Forwards

Tindall has picked three Irish forwards ahead of their clash against Wales at the Aviva Stadium, though players from all nations feature in his forward pack.

“For the back row I’ve gone with Jac Morgan, Josh van der Flier and Charles Ollivon. That’s a nice mixture – Van der Flier gets over the line a fair few times.

“With the fantasy team you can only pick four from each team so you’ve got to find places for other spots, that’s where Jac Morgan comes in there for me.”

“Second rows, I’ve gone for Maro Itoje, I think he’s a point-scorer. He can score, he can carry, his defensive game and turnovers, he’s always going to score you points.

.@ChristinaMahonx explains how the new Pick 4 fantasy game works – as well as choosing her four players ????????#AwakenAnticipation

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 3, 2023

“I’ve gone for Richie Gray as well, there’s a stat that he hasn’t missed a tackle for a long time, so I think he can score me points too.

“Front row, I’ve gone for Danilo Fischetti. I’ve got a little love affair with him, I think he’s a great athlete and great player, he could pick up some good points being a prop.

“Dan Sheehan at hooker, Ireland still love being five metres out, and you’re always going to need a hooker that is going to be at the back of that maul, scoring tries. Andrew Porter as well, he could always sneak over for a little pick and go.

Supersub

Every fantasy team has a Supersub, and there is no doubt for Tindall about who he thinks could make a significant impact off the bench.

“Most importantly, it’s about picking the right Supersub. For me, Anthony Watson, it’s great to see him back and I just love the way he plays. His athleticism makes things happen, and hopefully it will today.”