With the Rugby World Cup just a week away we have set up a Linlithgow Rugby Fantasy League.

Across the seven weeks, you will have the chance to flex your knowledge and compete against teammates, club members, family and most importantly get bragging rights over the coaches!

You can register and join the Linlithgow Rugby League via https://fantasy.rugbyworldcup.com/leagues/join/02U4WO3Z

League Code – 02U4WO3Z

RULES 

• £5 entry fee (please pass money to a coach who will capture your name, team name and confirm you have paid)
• Cash prizes will be available for first, second, and third place (prize pot will be confirmed after week 1 based upon the number of entrants)  
• Monies generated and not part of the prize fund will go back into the running of the Club and the furtherance of our development plans.

How does the game work

Each fantasy squad contains 15 players who will earn points based on their actual match performances throughout the duration of the World Cup.

Every player will be assigned a value before the tournament begins and you will then have 100 credits to build an XV consisting of two props, one hooker, two locks, three loose forwards, one scrum-half, one fly-half, two centres and three outside backs.

The budget means you will have to be shrewd in your selection process, being cautious of where to scatter the superstars and which positions to deploy the hidden gems in.

Up to three players can be selected from each nation during the pool stages before increasing as the tournament progresses through the knockout stages but with unlimited transfers, you will have the chance to chop and change players based on the difficulty of their matchups.

How do I score points?

For this version of fantasy rugby, points will solely be awarded for players’ efforts determined by their individual statistics with no ‘team’ points involved based on the result of the game.

The biggest takeaway from the point-scoring system is that try involvements will reap the richest reward with 15 points awarded to a player for a try and nine points for a try assist.

Alongside the obvious try-scoring benefits, hot steppers and tackle busters can spark more life into a fantasy side with each linebreak worth seven points and linebreak assists providing five points to players.

Goalkicking will also play a crucial role throughout the tournament with the point-scoring system acting as a double-edged sword as each successful penalty goal and conversion will earn players three and two points respectively but for each miss, one point will be deducted.

The second rowers and loose forwards’ time to shine will come at the breakdown and set piece with four points awarded to players for each turnover forced and five points awarded for each lineout steal on an opponent’s throw.

With all the glitz and glamour of linebreaks and try involvements, there is still room for unsung heroes in a winning fantasy side with one point gained for every tackle made and for every 10 metres gained alongside two points for each offload.

For those front rowers who might not bask in try involvement and linebreak points, the chance to earn their fantasy stripes will come at scrum time as three points will be awarded to the entire front row for each scrum won outright.

Boosters

Another element that fantasy owners will have to contend with is the three available boosters – Triple Captain, Super Kicker and Defensive King.

Each of these can be used once during the pool stage and then again for the knockout stages giving the opportunity to play with boosters six times throughout the tournament.

Triple captain is simply what it says on the tin, for one week your designated captain will earn triple points for that game week.

Meanwhile, the Super Kicker booster will earn an assigned player double points for each successful conversion, penalty and drop goal but you will need to be aware that this will also double negative scores for missed kicks.

The Defensive King acts in a similar fashion as double points will be awarded for every turnover forced, interception and tackle made but will provide a double negative for each tackle missed.