A few tips for getting your fantasy Super Rugby team off to a good start.

Selecting with just four teams playing

The tournament kicks off with a short first round featuring just four teams from the South African conference. There’s a limit of three players allowed per Super Rugby team in the round robin stages, which makes for very interesting selection decisions now and throughout the tournament.

So for Round 1, you'll need to set up your squad with 12 players from the four teams playing, and the rest of your team with players from the other teams. Since everyone is in the same position, the aim is to maximise your points with the 12 you can field.

After the round you have 10 transfers available (instead of the usual six) to get set up for the first full set of matches in Round 2. So the extra transfer headroom allows you to take a few risks and still be in a solid position going into next week.

Check the team sheets

Possibly the most important step each week is to check the team sheets. The team sheets for the first round here.

Be wary of top-selected players who are injured. Eben Etzebeth is a good example of this – selected by a lot of managers but out until April. Don’t get caught flat-footed with no-shows.

Make your captain and kicker count

The biggest starting boost you can give yourself is nailing your captain and kicker selections. This weekend there are a several good captain candidates and just four kickers. Home ground advantage and recent form are major factors to consider in identifying the possible stand out performers.

Look ahead to the fixtures for Round 2

Planning ahead is crucial if you’re to be a contender for that grand prize of a trip to see the Boks in Argentina! Fixtures, rounds and the all-important byes are listed here.

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