Rugby World Cup | All-Star Fantasy Team of the Week

The opening weekend of Rugby World Cup 2025 produced some thrilling games and moments, but which players stood out with impressive individual performances?

During that pulsating opening weekend we will all have been flicking back and forth between the TV and our fantasy teams, wondering why we left that player in who didn’t start, or why we didn’t bring in those South African backs who dazzled against the Brazilian defence.

This week you’ll no doubt pick through the jumbled pieces of your fantasy team and wonder how you can move higher up the rankings, so in this article we’ll look at who racked up points and who you should be transferring into your side for this weekend - pronto!

Props

Hannah Botterman (59pts) and Amy Rule (40pts) lead the front row. Botterman bagged a try in the opening match against USA and conceded zero penalties as well as making no errors, astonishing for someone competing in the highly technical scrum. Rule was only selected by 2.4% of you but she ran amok with a linebreak, three defenders beaten, and 43m gained with ball in hand. Assia Khalfaoui (40pts) tied with Rule and the French prop will be in line to face Brazil in the second round where more points might be on offer.

Hooker

Lark Atkin-Davies (53pts). Though Atkin-Davies came off the bench, hooker is a good position to collect tries from and she did it twice, once from close range and once after hitching her wagon to the back of England’s dominant maul. She outscored starter Amy Cokayne (45pts) who scored a try as her last action before being substituted. Australian hooker Katalina Amosa (46pts) was the second highest point scorer and she will face the USA in the second round looking to add to her tally.

Second row

An unusually high-scoring round for a position which does a lot of the heavy unseen lifting but rarely gets the credit. Sophie de Goede (68pts) was the third highest scoring forward. She scored a try and assisted another, but her secret weapon was that she kicks points as well - she added four conversions. You lot already knew that though: she was selected by 41% of you, much higher than any other lock. Next up was Erica Jarrell-Searcy (56pts). Just 2% of people selected the American second row, perhaps concerned that she’d be going up against the juggernaut that is the Red Roses. Jarrell-Searcy scored the USA's only try though, slicing through the English defence from 40m out. She’s already seen a leap in fantasy selections.

Loose Forwards

Aseza Hele (111pts) led all forwards in the fantasy game with her first-round haul against Brazil. She bagged a hat-trick, one of four players to do so on the opening weekend. Hele also beat ten defenders, made two linebreaks, and assisted another try. She will face Italy in the second round who limited France to just 24pts scored. Jorja Miller (88pts, pictured) was the most selected back row with 55% including her in their teams and she proved that you all know your onions - or Black Fern back rows at least. She scored two tries and her three linebreaks and 11 defenders beaten led the loose forwards. Sadia Kabeya (63pts) completes our loose forwards. The English flanker grabbed a try but her biggest contribution was as a defender. She made 26 tackles, the second most of any player - just one behind team-mate Morwenna Talling.

Scrum-Half

The absence of Pauline Bourdon-Sansus threw the cat amongst the pigeons in round one but South African nine Nadine Roos (81pts) picked up the mantle and quite literally ran with it; her 89m carried were the most for a scrum-half. She also assisted two tries and bagged one for herself.

Fly-Half

There were big weekends for Libbie Janse van Rensburg (65pts) and Helen Nelson (52pts). Janse van Rensburg led all fly-halves with two tries and also set-up three linebreaks, also topping the charts. Nelson shook the Welsh defence with her carrying, she made 82m with ball in hand and beat four defenders, both of which led fly-halves.

Centres

Eve Higgins (79pts) and Cecilia Smith (54pts) were the perfect centre pairing. Higgins was tireless against Japan, making ten carries which notched up an astonishing 150m, the third most of the tournament behind two outside backs we will hear about shortly. She also finally got her reward in the 53rd minute with a try. Smith made 13 carries, more than any other Australian, and beat seven defenders, more than any other centre. She should carry that confidence into their crucial second-round match against USA.

Outside Backs

The outside backs had a party this weekend as three of them topped 100pts. Julia Schell (149pts) was the highest scoring fantasy player in round one, and that will happen if you manage to score six tries, the second most ever in a single Rugby World Cup match. She carried for 180m, also the most, and beat six defenders. Ellie Kildunne (116pts) was selected by 59% of you and she delivered with two tries, two try assists, and 153m carried. England face Samoa in the second round which suggests more points are on the cards for Kildunne. Francesca McGhie (101pts) was the breakout star from the opening weekend. Just 2% of you picked her but she scored a hat-trick against Wales and beat seven defenders. For good measure she also forced a turnover.