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Episode 25: Quick Champions Cup QF & Super Rugby Review, and Weekend Preview
33 Plays7 years ago
It's a solo effort this week with Jarrod steering the ship alone. It's a very digestible episode for all, there wasn't a large detail gone into on every match as we tend to do. The key talking points weren't completely breezed over though, so not to worry. We also look at this weekend's matches with both guy's picks as well as some fantasy advice for both the Prem and Super Rugby. Sit back and enjoy!
Follow us on Twitter: Jarrod- jdyke8man & Ben- admrablsnackbar
Email fantasyrugbypodcast@gmail.com with questions, feedback or just to say what's up.
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Transcript
Introduction and Agenda
00:00:07
Speaker
Hey everybody, how's it going? It is the Fancy Rugby Games. My name is Jared Dyke. Ben is not with us today. Like we said before, a few weeks ago, schedules are going to get pretty crazy, pretty weird. It's a terrible time for the schedules to get crazy and weird because some of the best rugby is about to be played between
00:00:23
Speaker
Champions Cup and the end of the partnership season and so on but we're you know, we're human where we have lives So yeah, it is what it is We'll do our best to keep bringing you a little bit of content every week. It's just me today so I will try not to bore you guys to tears and I will try and Keep this thing going as best I can so bear with me and Well, I'll try not to put you guys to sleep
00:00:50
Speaker
Okay, so before we get into too much of the rugby, and what I'll do is I'll go through this past weekend's matches pretty quickly, give some fantasy advice about the upcoming matches, and then I'll be out of your hair.
Tribute to Renee Fontes
00:01:02
Speaker
Before we get into that though, we do want to acknowledge the passing of Renee Fontes, long time Claremont chairman, what have you.
00:01:13
Speaker
Big, big reason that we have what we do in terms of Champions Cup rugby and European rugby. Claremont certainly wouldn't be a name we know as rugby fans without his help, certainly.
00:01:28
Speaker
Guy acknowledged the passing of him. They did a nice minute of applause at all the quarterfinals this past weekend And we wanted to acknowledge that as well. So rest in peace and Mr. Fontes and miss you Fontes and We thank you for all you did
Champions Cup Recap
00:01:49
Speaker
All right, Champions Cup, whew. We had four pretty good games, really. Maybe three and one kinda decent half, at least. Edinburgh did not take their chances this past weekend. They should, in my opinion, they should've kicked a goal a couple extra times. Did Tiger Burns fall, flop, whatever, win in the game? Maybe. Schumann probably shouldn't have made the decision he made
00:02:16
Speaker
In order to put that down, but really I thought that should have been on the referee to say you know what you flopped I'm not giving you that penalty you're gonna matter of fact. I might penalize you That's just me. We can't have that start affecting games in rugby that that would that would make me mad But also Edinburgh probably should have made a few shots at goal when they decided to go for the corner I appreciate the the
00:02:42
Speaker
the guts it took to do that, but at the same time, you're a knockout rugby, you need to think smart. Was it a dive? Yes. Should have affected the outcome of the game. If Edinburgh had made better decisions, it wouldn't have. There's good and bad, there's up and down with that one. Edinburgh 13, monster 17, monster move on.
Saracens vs. Glasgow Discussion
00:03:09
Speaker
Saracen's in Glasgow. Oh, man. I had a hard time with this one only because somebody that we know Wouldn't shut his face about how much the Saracen's gonna kill Glasgow and for me I'm a huge believer in karma and juju and all that stuff and I'm Sitting here thinking. Oh, no when I hear Owen Farrell has been dropped from the team because his wife's giving birth. I'm like, ah Crap, that's all we need
00:03:33
Speaker
And then they had a bad start with Price getting the try down the sideline there. And I was just like, oh, you son of a biscuit, you asshole. So Karma is real, because then Brad Barrett ended up getting her at the end of this game. Thankfully, he's able to walk, but
00:03:50
Speaker
this is a tough competition we need as much good karma and good luck on our side as possible so respect your opponent don't talk complete trash about them because it'll come back to bite you maybe not this round but I'm thinking another round where we're gonna need all the good luck we can get because we're the Saracens are about to play a really good monster team yeah please please please although I have to say I don't understand why the match is being played at the Rico I don't think it's that nice of an arena I know it's probably one of the nicer arenas in
00:04:19
Speaker
The area but just play the twicken them stop screwing around. I know twicken them was potentially gonna be a final spot Just play the toy can stop stop being cute. Okay Rico isn't that nice?
00:04:32
Speaker
Um, but Saracens when they eventually, you know, turn on the gas and figure out, Oh, that's right. We are the Saracens. Um, no, no own Pharaoh. No problem. He'll be back next week. I presume for their premiership master. Uh, William Williams gets to struggle, gets to Jamie George has man of the match performance and looks every bit the part of a top two hooker in the world. Um, in my opinion, Dan Coles is probably still on that level when he's healthy. That's the problem right now. He's not healthy. So.
00:05:03
Speaker
And Glasgow just kept having injury after injury. They're not a super deep squad. They have great depth. Once Stewart Hogg started making mistakes, they were in trouble. So that's pretty much where you can probably lay a lot of the issues that Glasgow had is Stewart Hogg just did not have himself the match that they needed him to have in order to have a shot at this thing.
00:05:24
Speaker
Hastings had a decent match. Dude still got a pretty good boot. He looks like he's just kind of hitting the old chip on the golf course and it's flying through the post from way out. I like the kit. I hope he keeps going. I hope Scotland keep pulling him into the team.
Toulouse vs. Rassing Overview
00:05:44
Speaker
Leinster and Ulster, this was a clash. So many sore bodies after this one, I'm sure. No section for Leinster, which was gonna be a little time for them, but it turned out to be not a big deal. Well, I say not a big deal, but Leinster ended up winning.
00:06:06
Speaker
people are pointing at Ulster, winger, Stockdale losing the ball in the tri-zone. I feel for the kid, he's gonna live with that mistake the rest of his life, so for those of you that are trying to just pour it on the guy, just relax, would you? He feels there is nobody in the world that feels worse than Jacob Stockdale, I promise you, okay?
00:06:32
Speaker
Next time he's probably gonna from now on he's probably falling into the try zone every time. Okay, I promise you so He's off the kid Did Ulster lose because of that maybe? Could they have played better in other places? Yeah, well, they had a little bit of bad luck But with Rory best getting hurt, hopefully best can can recover in time for the World Cup I presume has seen his season with Ulster will be done as for instance That are not in the Champions Cup anymore unless they really want to make a make a run at the pro 14 title But we'll see
00:07:04
Speaker
Rossing and Toulouse, oh yes, this was a crazy match. This was every bit of entertainment I expected it to be. We talked about it last week. It was just gonna be a wild match, and it was. Toulouse get a red card. Zach Holmes for a dangerous tackle on Wanimoff.
00:07:25
Speaker
and it was probably a yellow. But after that, Luke Pierce got pretty much every decision spot on, including the disallowing of the Rassing try. That would have been the go ahead. So I thought Luke Pierce did pretty well besides that. And to be fair, Rassing didn't do themselves any favor. They had two yellow cards in the
00:07:47
Speaker
in that span after Zach Holmes got red carded. And they, with even numbers, 14 on 14, they gave up 12 points. They didn't do themselves any favors. DuPont played lights out, he was on fire, and Tamaq played very well.
00:08:06
Speaker
The guys that you remember from the French team that played very well played very well for to lose I'm personally happy that to lose one because even though I picked Rossin because I thought they'd win I'm personally happy that to lose one because It's a team mostly with Frenchman with a sprinkling of a few Foreigners and that's okay, you know, you got you gotta have a few in there that most teams do and that's not a big deal in my opinion But it's a mostly French team with young French talent that are moving on and not a team of
00:08:35
Speaker
for lack of a better term, mercenaries. So it'll be Toulouse in Dublin, against Leinster, and it'll be Munster in London, well, not London, Coventry, whoop-de-doo, playing the Saracens. So I don't know how much of a trip that is for Munster, personally. I'm not in tune with that, but that is what it is.
Premiership Insights and Fantasy Advice
00:09:06
Speaker
Okay, and then Super Rugby. I can run through the matches real quick. Hurricanes and Crusaders. Hurricanes play like absolute garbage. Crusaders fixed the obviously right of the ship from the other week and got themselves a win. Wartos and Sunwolves played out of their brains. Masaroyo with a hat trick.
00:09:27
Speaker
a huge day for him. Hayden Parker playing as well as he's played. You know, Sun Wolves are obviously very motivated. Wartas gotta go back to the drawing board a little bit. They put Matt Mason in instead of Bernard Foley and I'm sure they're regretting it. I don't think the Sun Wolves are a team you can rest all your best players, granted, and rest them all. But, you know, that's an important position. Maybe don't do that against the Sun Wolves and just assume you're gonna win.
00:09:51
Speaker
Blues and Stormers blues get one big day for the likes of Riku Yewani and Nanai and Ma Nanai look pretty good. It's Harry Black played a lot better Sunny Bill with his
00:10:04
Speaker
Sunnybill offloads, doing what he does. Big win for the Blues. I think that gives them three in a row, so good for them. They seem to be getting on fire, so look out. Reds and Rebels, Quaid Cooper goes back home to the CME. Used to play in and puts his old team to the sword. Good on him. There's still some doubters of Quaid Cooper, and I understand him because he's got a history.
00:10:28
Speaker
of doing some silly things in matches and he doesn't always do the little things that you need of him. But to say that he doesn't deserve a gold jersey is probably inaccurate still because what he can do on the positive side is so worth it. It's absolutely worth it.
00:10:45
Speaker
You don't have to start it. Bring Bernard Foley to. That's okay. Bring all three of them. It doesn't matter. Bring three guys to Playful I have. Make sure he's one of them. And use him when you need to because he's got the ability to just change a game and create something from nothing. So it's worth it. At least in my opinion.
00:11:06
Speaker
Sharks, Bulls, rough match, literally a rough match, two red cards from the opposing hookers, Brits and Akka Vandiver, Vandiver getting into it, little handbags, and they shook hands, they had a beer afterwards together, and that's what it's about. You get nice and intense on the field, and you don't hold back, but off the field, you shake hands and say, good game, and you're respectful, and you're a human, you're not a jerk.
00:11:34
Speaker
That's what it's about. So but Bulls take care of business in my opinion the best team in the South Africa conference Even if it's not by points, which I think it is actually but still definitely the best team
00:11:47
Speaker
Chiefs and Jaguars. Chiefs pulled out of the fire at the last minute, had a nice lead at halftime, and slowly slipped away in the second half. But then Terengi rescues him in the end. Damian Mack played as Damian Mack does. No birdie metallic in this game. He got sent home early to get a little bit of extra rest. But what was it?
00:12:12
Speaker
Manu, the Manu try, who just a bit of luck, bounces off a post and falls basically right to him. Can't ask for any better luck than that, that's for sure. But Chiefs win and so Chiefs are maybe gaining some momentum here as well. So this could make the New Zealand Conference very, very, very combative. So have a look out. All right, so let's go to this weekend's matches and a bit of fancy advice for everybody out there.
00:12:43
Speaker
We'll start with premiership and sail and quins. So in terms of this, fantasy wise, I have the quins prompts on my bench list. So pine them if you can. I have sail hookers, Rob Weber as a go.
00:13:13
Speaker
Quinn's second rose is a stop, and Quinn's lose forwards is a stop as well. Sale, don't give up a lot of fantasy points per se, they're one of the better teams, fantasy-wise. I have sales, scrum haps as a stop though, so note that. Fly haps, I think it's Catricalis or something like that this week.
00:13:34
Speaker
weird so I wouldn't play him anyway but the the Quinn's fly half sort of stopped this week anyway so I would uh I'd temper that uh Quinn's centers are actually a go though this week so Marchant top of why um Sayili uh I think it's Olofa that's starting at center this week even though he's a wing so yeah probably okay to play those guys uh James
00:13:57
Speaker
I think it's, is it Sam James or Luke James? Whichever one's playing in the middle for the sale. Ben Rensberg, O'Connor, whoever else is playing, might be playing center for sale this week. Pine them, they're a stop. And yeah, so there you go. So there's your ones. My big stop sign was Marcus Smith. He's not even starting this week, so there you go. Guess I should have tweeted that out and then I would just, I would have been right.
00:14:25
Speaker
Um, so, and then for the pick them this week, Ben's going quins. I'm going sail. And obviously the twins are pretty good, pretty hot outside of the loss of Saracens, but, and I think sail at home are going to feel pretty begrudged about the way they played up at new castle. So they'll, they'll come out with a little motivation, especially with AJ McGinty back on the satellite. I think as much as I don't like Steve diamond, I love AJ McGinty. So I'm going to back AJ.
00:14:54
Speaker
And Bath and Bristol, let's see what we got here. Bath and Bristol are both tough against hookers, so maybe reconsider either one of those, as well as second rows are actually both goes for both teams as well. Stuke, Atwood, Vooey, Holmes, Batley, Chartres, those are goes.
00:15:21
Speaker
back rows against Bristol are actually very good as well, so play your back rows like Mercer, Lowe, Ellis. Scrum halves against Bath are having a tough time, so maybe Pine, the likes of Harry Randall and Andy Uren.
00:15:46
Speaker
And fly-ups as well, Callum Sheedy and Ian Madigan. I have Callum Sheedy, but I think Owen Farrell's going to be back this week, so I'll be saved. I won't have to play him. And then back three, actually a little bit, two sides of the coin here. Back three for Bath are a go. McConaughey cooking a sing-a-home, a rockin' nagoonie, the likes. Koopa Voona.
00:16:08
Speaker
and Bristol, Loyola, Morahan, O'Connor, I don't think Charlie Piatow is healthy, but the likes, find them, put a stop on them.
00:16:27
Speaker
All right, and then the pick'em. Ben's picked Bristol, I've picked Bath. Ben is in love with Bristol. If you could have a side piece to your side piece, I think he'd pick Bristol. I feel Bath, I feel like Bath is gonna be at home.
Exeter vs. Leicester Preview
00:16:42
Speaker
They played fairly well against the Chiefs from what I remember and they've been a tough out at home as well. I think Bristol are gonna struggle here and even if Bath do it ugly, they'll get it done. Was and Worcester.
00:16:57
Speaker
So, let's have a look. Wooster props, pinem, shownert, waller, black, all of them. Don't be playing them. And...
00:17:10
Speaker
Let's see what else we got here. Not a ton in terms of this. Scrum halves are a green light for the, or go for the wasps, so Joe Simpson's definitely wanted to play if he's in. Fly halves as well, so Rob Miller, Sopuaga if he's healthy, I don't think he's healthy yet, but point being, yeah. And...
00:17:33
Speaker
And then back three for Worcester are a definitive go. Heem, Pennell, Adams, Howe, whoever's playing in that back three, give them a go, give them a whirl. You're probably playing most of those guys anyway if you have them in your team. So just be hopeful and very optimistic of a good day. For the pick-up, Ben, I agree, was to take it.
00:17:56
Speaker
wasp being at home, if it was at six ways, I'd actually probably lean wister, but because it's at the regal, it actually made it a slightly tougher call and I'd leaned wasp just for the home field there.
00:18:08
Speaker
Luster and Exeter, we are, I mean, pick them won't be a surprise. We're picking Exeter. Luster have been leaking points left and right. They brought in Mike Ford this week, which I don't see what that's gonna fix. Mike Ford's not really a defense coach. I mean, if he's a defense coach, his son needs to learn how to tackle a little better to do him proud, that's all I know.
00:18:33
Speaker
Um, so I would, uh, I'd be shocked if Lester were able to hang here, but maybe they will. They do have some good players. So maybe the individuals will make a difference. Uh, for fancy wise props, pine pine, you Lester props, uh, again, Nicole Bateman, the likes, uh, pine, you Lester hookers, Young's and Kerr.
00:18:55
Speaker
Um, and also play definitively play your, um, Exeter hookers, Gandal, Cowan, Dickey, whichever one starts play it. If you have them, play them.
00:19:09
Speaker
Second rows I'd back off on for two sides of the coin here. Again, tells you where the two teams probably are on the table, kind of. Lester, second rows, Pineham, Kitchener, Williams, Fitzgerald, whoever, Spencer, I think might be in there. Yep, Pineham. And then opposite side for Exeter play, your Dave Dennises, your Sam Skinner's, your Johnny Hills.
00:19:36
Speaker
That's Johnny Hill, it's a second row, right? I know it's Sam and Johnny, I can't remember which one. Either way, whichever one plays second row, play them. Back rows for Exeter, again, Lester give up a ton of points fantasy-wise, so there's gonna be a lot of Exeter names that you're probably gonna feel comfortable playing this week. Cubastic, Ewers, Armin, go ahead.
00:19:57
Speaker
Actually, Scrum Haps against Exeter do very well. I don't understand how that happens, but it does. So Ben, I guess they end up having to make a lot of phases because less Exeter make their tackles. So Scrum Haps get a lot of points for passing. So the likes of Ben Young's, Ben Young's you probably want to play if you have them anyway. But if like Ben White starts, then maybe consider him if you need an emergency.
00:20:22
Speaker
Centers again opposite side or fly half Steven actually let's go to fly house Ford actually is on the green side here He's not a neutral even he's a green for again probably for the likes of they have to hear talk about moving the ball at least one phase a lot because exit or make their tackles Ford Ford to go just for the fact that he's probably gonna have to pass and he's one of the better scores in the league anyway, so you're probably gonna play him anyway Centers, but now we're two centers
00:20:51
Speaker
Two sides of the coin here. Exeter on the green. The tiger's on the stop. So Witten, Devoto, Slade, the other hell. Play him. Tuolangi, you might get away with playing. Eastman, Owen, Tamua, don't play him. I don't think Tamua's healthy anyway, but point being, don't play your luster.
00:21:10
Speaker
You lost your centers, and then you're back three for your exiters for your Chiefs Woodburn, Cordero, Knoll, Cuthbert. Try to think of another name. O'Flaherty's out there. Play them. You'd probably play most of those guys anyway, but definitely keep your expectations optimistic for that one. And like I said in the pick'em, no surprise. Ben and I agree. Exeter, take it.
00:21:34
Speaker
We aren't, we're hopeful that Lester somehow pulled it off for the sake of the Saracens, but not really expecting that to happen. I'm not even sure it's going to be that close. Maybe it will be. Who knows?
00:21:48
Speaker
Alright, and Saracen's in Newcastle. Now, obviously, this is a tough one for Newcastle to bounce back from to really get into another trying to fight for relegation, but it's going to be probably one of those matches where they go, oh no, and maybe hope to get a losing bonus point or a try bonus or something like that just to get a point.
00:22:12
Speaker
for your fantasy ideas. Newcastle props are actually okay this week, as are Saracen's props, so we'll, you probably assume one of the others is gonna do well, not both. So, hedge your bets. If you have a Newcastle prop and you're desperate, you might be okay. If you have one of the Saracen's props, Cough, Lemisatelli, Barrington, Judge, then not about a week to plan if you've been waiting for a time to plan.
00:22:41
Speaker
Second row is Newcastle. Don't play your second rows from Newcastle. Green, who thankfully came out of the other side of his citation and his hearing on the positive side, wasn't found to be a bite, which is good, because I thought it was Rob Webber more or less being a jerk, not him biting. So let that be a lesson. Don't try and cheat, guys.
00:23:04
Speaker
So he but don't play green don't play Davidson cover body anybody else that plays in that second row Either chick or Welch. I think plays in there sometimes Keep it and keep them on the bench Back row for Saracens. Yeah, most these guys are green light in my book anyway, but Ray Vernipola Earl Clark if you have them burger if you have them, this is a good week to play them
00:23:30
Speaker
And your scrumhaps for the series. Wigglesworth, if he's healthy. Spencer, definitely Spencer is probably somebody you play right now. He's on fire. So it wouldn't matter if it was a green light or not, but definitely keep your hopes up for that one. Pine, Toby Flood, if you can. There's a lot of cheap options out there to replace him this week. And he's probably going to struggle, especially where Newcastle are in North London, not up in the tune.
00:23:58
Speaker
Centers for, flip side of the coin here for either. Centers for Saracens are green light, they're a big go. Barrett, Lazowski, Tompkins, whichever one of those three starts, give it a whirl. I would guess Barrett's at least gonna miss this week after that ankle injury. That looked bad, but I think he's walking around, so that's a positive sign.
00:24:20
Speaker
On the other side pine your like so Williams Harris met of AC well, whoever else is playing center for the Falcons or If you have to play them don't expect much. It's all I'm gonna say back three Saracen's actually defend the back three players very well full back some wings So even though they have some good ones, so let's see. It's not he Nicky gun of a Hammersley Kibery Keep your expectations low for those guys. I'm not sure
00:24:47
Speaker
all those guys score well, but just keep your expectations on the lower side for those guys if you're forced to play them. And again, like I said, no surprise.
Northampton vs. Gloucester Predictions
00:25:01
Speaker
Ben and I both picked Saracens. Hopefully that gives us nudges, that'll nudge the Saracens closer to locking up a semi-final for the Premiership. And obviously one step closer to hosting a Premiership semi as well.
00:25:18
Speaker
And Ben's side piece against my side piece. This will be an entertaining match. The both teams that really like to play, they both have a lot of fun players to watch. These are both teams that are really solid and they're both fighting for top six, if not top four. And I like the way this matchup's shaping up. It's at Franklin's Gardens. Let's go over the fantasy stuff before we talk about it. Let's see who we got here.
00:25:54
Speaker
There we go, okay, I miss Franco Murray for lost her play him if you if you have them Then we go all the way down to back rows and glossed her back rows Temporary expectations they have some good ones. I know Ben Morgan Creole Clark Ackermann Poledri all very good temporary expectations
00:26:19
Speaker
Northampton as well, actually, so they're both in the red. So you expect there'll be at least a couple that do well from either team, but it's gonna be kind of hedging your bets on which one's gonna get it done. So if you have another option, maybe consider it. Scrum Haps for Gloucester, Hines and Braley. Sit them if you can. If you have another one that's a little bit better, sit them. Probably a good idea. And...
00:26:47
Speaker
Then Gloucester back three would be the last one that I have on my list here, I believe. Yep, Gloucester back three. So the likes of Woodward, Thorley, Sharples, Band of Hand, Marshall, anybody in that list. Pine them or temper expectations. Like I have Thorley, I'm probably gonna play him. Some of you probably have Woodward, he's a very good player as well, Sharples. I understand if you gotta play him, play him, but just be wary that it might not be a pretty day.
00:27:20
Speaker
And pick them for this. Actually, I'm surprised Ben's going Saints. And I'm going with my guys at Franklin's Gardens as well. I think they have a lot of good pieces that are going there. If Dan Bigger continues to play the way he carries over his form from Six Nations like he did the first week back to the Premiership and then carries it to this game, I think Gloucester are going to have a tough day.
00:27:46
Speaker
I think it'll be a very competitive match, but I think he's gonna make their life just miserable enough to get Saints over the line. All right, let's go down under to Super Rugby. And we have...
00:28:03
Speaker
some very good matchups this week. Again, it's a lot, not a lot. Oh, let's go to this. I said Marcus Smith was my stop sign for the Premiership. Sounds like I already got that one right. I did that way before the lamps came out, I promise. If you don't believe me, it's okay. I understand.
00:28:20
Speaker
but my green light this week will be Zack Mercer for the permission. I own him myself, so I'll probably be starting him and captaining him as long as he's playing, and I expect a big week for the young, young England back rower against the Lexo Bristol.
Hurricanes vs. Highlanders Analysis
00:28:46
Speaker
All right, now to Super Rugby. This is not a head fake this time. Highlanders and Hurricanes. So we have Highlanders, and a lot of these teams have already put the lineups out for Super Rugby. Highlanders are probably not a team you need to
00:29:07
Speaker
put a lot of stock into, if you can help it, but hurricanes have a little bit of, so there's nobody, there's nothing position-wise to note for highlanders, either benching or definitively starting, but for the hurricanes there's plenty, kind of both sides of the coin, so that's kind of where the highlanders are at defensively, I suppose.
00:29:28
Speaker
hurricanes locks, if you can pick one you like, play them, maybe this will be a good week for them. Hurricanes lose forwards, might be a week to temper expectations, fly-haves too, so boat and bear, it might have another week if you have a backup or there's somebody on the waivers that you can possibly snap up.
00:29:48
Speaker
I don't know. I think of Terry black still out there. Maybe so give that a shot Midfielders for hurricanes. I mean you'd play a llama pay the way so he's in there I think Jordy Barrett's playing midfield this week, but still Definitely play llama pay. Obviously you were starting him expect a bit a fairly big week. I
00:30:06
Speaker
Outside backs for the Hurricanes. Again, Geordie Bear's playing in the middle, so in either case, that should be a decent week for them, along with the likes of Houston and Tiatia. And I think, and then I think Lamb's on the other wing, I think about it.
00:30:24
Speaker
And so let's go to the pick them. Ben and I both picked the hurricanes to bounce back at Forsyth Bar. We'll see if that's the case. I'm hoping they bounce back. They didn't look very good last week. And as a hurricane supporter, got me a little worried. There was conversation of Bode and Barrett over Malonga. Bode and Barrett still the starting 10 in New Zealand. Shut up.
00:30:51
Speaker
Reds and Stormers. Let's see. Stormers have had a rough road trip so far. Let's see what we got for fantasy advice here. So don't start the front row of the Stormers if you can help it. And loose forwards for the Stormers are actually an okay play, which I'm gonna be playing Khaleesi. Halfbacks, if you have Tate McDermott for the Reds, go ahead. If you have any of the Stormers halfbacks, maybe reconsider.
00:31:23
Speaker
And outside backs for the Reds I mean One of my biggest my big green light for the week is Seth Nivalo for the Reds the winger for the Reds So that that is my call. I believe he's gonna have a big week where stormers are gonna be a bit of a tired team there I know they've rotated some guys, but still they've had two tough games and this is not gonna be a cakewalk either. So I
00:31:45
Speaker
I think Steph Navarro is going to take advantage of that and be able to rack up the meters real easy and probably get over the line. For the pick, Ben, I agree again. Reds. Reds, Reds, Reds. He convinced me last week that the Stormers were going to win. In the back of my mind, I said, did I really make a good pick with that one? I let him sway me. That was my own fault. Lesson learned.
00:32:16
Speaker
Okay, sharks and lions. The lions are hosting the superhero game. This should be an interesting one to watch between Spider-Man and Black Panther. Lion's front row, temper expectations. I think last week's red charge to the Skulk Brits kind of leaned
00:32:41
Speaker
the front row scoring for the Sharks in their favor, obviously, in terms of points against, but still, maybe just tamper expectations. If you have a better one, maybe play that instead. If you don't, then just be ready. It might not be a fun day. Maybe it will be, who knows? I mean, they do have Malcolm Mark's last eject, so who knows?
00:33:09
Speaker
Let's see. Here we go. Let's look. We got, geez, was that it? Nope. Midfielders for the sharks. Midfielders for the sharks. Outside backs for the sharks. Um, actually Yunchies should be good this week too. A pretty good play. Um, fly half for the, for the lions. So there you go. So fly half for the lions, play them. Uh, midfielders for the sharks and outside backs for the sharks. Maybe reconsider.
00:33:36
Speaker
And finally, we're different. Ben is back the Sharks. I am going to take the home team off of I. Lots of good pieces going into the Lions. I don't love the Lions as a team, but I know teams when teams are in good form and whether or not Lions seem to have it figured out. So let's see what happens when I'll be interested to see what happens when they play the Bulls again. So I'm back in the Lions this weekend.
Crusaders vs. Brumbies Strategies
00:34:02
Speaker
And then Crusaders and Brumbies. Brumbies have a struggle of a time. So if I have a Brumbies on the list here, just maybe reconsider even if I do have like a green, I have a green light for the Brumbies for their loose forwards. I have the Crusaders on my list, both for Pine, their front row and any other locks, which is bad news for me because I have Sam White Lock. So I may yet be forced to play him. We'll see. And then,
00:34:34
Speaker
What else do I have? I have the Crusaders fly halves are on the do not play list if you can help it. Brumby's midfielders are also on that list of do not play if you can help it. Although, again, there's certain players that are completely matchup proof. Richie Molonga might be one of those people that wears a Crusader shirt that you can probably throw in there and still be looking rosy on the other side.
00:35:03
Speaker
Ben and I agree, Crusaders will take this match. Brumby, like I said, Brumby's are in tough form. I know they're coming off the bye, but they just, they get a lot to figure out. If they figure it out over this week, we'll find out. If they get crushed, then they need to go back and search some more. Blues Waratahs. Like I said, Blues are on a roll, so we'll see what happens. Waratahs locks, have a seat.
00:35:28
Speaker
Let's see, Blue's half-backs. I have Jonathan Brew and might be forced to play him. We'll see. And then...
00:35:37
Speaker
Waratas midfielders, fly half-sand midfielders, get them on the pine as well as lose forward. So it's going to be, it could be a rough day. The Blues are actually a pretty good defensive team. They've made some games ugly. Let's put it that way. So maybe reconsider those position groups for the Waratas as well as the one or two that I mentioned for the Blues. Not all are green lights for either one of those teams, but that's okay.
00:36:04
Speaker
Ben, I agree, it'll be the Blues taking it at home. Wartos are probably a little bit reeling from the Sun Wolves being them at home, but we'll see. I'm sure they'll put in a good performance, but I still think the Blues get it done. Rebels and Sun Wolves.
00:36:21
Speaker
Well, no, I'm a huge fan of the Rebels back line especially, so give those guys a whirl if you can. Rebels front row, actually this will be a decent week to play them as well as their locks. Pine their loose forwards if you can. I know Niceurani might be one of those guys that's completely matchup proof or cotter roll maybe even, but just reconsider if you can. And,
00:36:50
Speaker
That's it, oh, midfielders and outside backs. Oh, excuse me, she used to know it's not, that's not it, okay. Sorry, messed that up. Halfbacks, oh yeah, so that was, I almost picked Will Guinea as my green light this week. So, keep that in mind. So, halfbacks for the Rebels, play them. Midfielders for the Rebels, play them outside, you should play them. If you have a Rebels backline player,
00:37:18
Speaker
and they're in okay form, play them because they're finding ways to get over the line in that back line. I think they only have a couple tries in the forwards. So go ahead and just greenlight any Rebels player that's playing in the back line, just about at least.
00:37:35
Speaker
Yeah, someone's not a lot of love to give out unfortunately the front row might be an okay play this week But again, I said the rebels might be an okay play. So Hedging your bets again, so we'll see if you have either one of them Go ahead, but you know, I don't know which one of them is gonna do well maybe they both do well with a couple forwards from each getting a try who knows but I
00:37:58
Speaker
Yeah, both on either side are low end of giving up a lot of points. They give up a ton of points, both front rows. And no surprise here, Ben and I have both picked the Rebels. It's not disrespecting the Sun Wolves. They haven't been able to string wins together yet, so that being the problem, they've strung performances together, just gotta start putting the W's up as well. Until I see it, I'm gonna wait on it.
00:38:29
Speaker
And last one of the weekend, Bulls and Hagrais. Hagrais just really having a real error after getting nipped at the death by the Chiefs, or almost at the death, but close. And then they gotta travel to South Africa, so this might not be fine for them.
00:38:50
Speaker
In terms of fantasy jaguars locks, maybe see to have a have a seat bulls loose forwards They have a bunch of loose forwards that are actually pretty good to begin with so if you're not playing them already This might be a good week to try it Let's see and
00:39:10
Speaker
Bulls fly half I think I presume Paul odds playing But even if he doesn't this is an okay week to maybe play that Bulls backup fly-off if you need a if you need a replacement fly-off for the likes of
00:39:25
Speaker
Shoot. I know somebody's sitting, but anyway, anyway, I said, I know somebody's sitting this week, but I can't remember who it was anyway. Um, give them a seat. If you're having why half issues, this might be your, your little bit of diamond in the rough. If the bulls are playing their backup 10, any of their backup tens and outside backs.
00:39:49
Speaker
Not a lot of good news there. I got ice and bowls are both on my pine list, so be tempering those expectations for those positions. It'll be...
00:40:01
Speaker
It'll be, again, hedging bets. One of them's probably gonna come out okay, if not good, but it's gonna be a matter of, do I know how to guess this right? If you don't, then maybe reconsider. I will post this all up on my Twitter page. I'll pick a new stop sign.
00:40:20
Speaker
I only realized that Marcus Smith was not starting this morning, so I'm sure there'll be more that comes out as I posted this, but I'm just here to try and help. I'm not here to be perfect, I'm just here to try and help. So that will be everything. Oh, and Ben and I both picking lines, by the way. The lines, bullshit. I got myself Africa Team Square, I promise.
00:40:45
Speaker
Yes, we're both picking the bulls. He caught up to me, he caught up by a game on, a few games on me, but he's still down four games, so if you see him, tell him not to get his head too big.
Closing and Listener Engagement
00:40:58
Speaker
Yeah, so if you wanna follow me, jdike, at jdike8man on Twitter, that's where I'll be posting some of this information. If you need to hear it again, so you don't have to go shuffling back through the podcast. Where was it, where was it?
00:41:14
Speaker
I'll put it up on Twitter. If you have a question, Fantasy Rugby Podcast at gmail.com, download us, subscribe, rate on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify,
00:41:29
Speaker
As I said, just give us some downloads, give us a review. We like reviews. We want to know what you guys think. If you think we suck, say we suck. That's okay. We want to hear it. We want to know how we can get better and how we can help you guys more. Other than that, it's going to be a lot of rugby again this weekend. Everybody's kicked back. Enjoy the rugby. Have a good weekend. Ben and I will talk to you guys next week. Cheers.