Mike Tindall makes Guinness Six Nations Fantasy Rugby Round 2 picks

Who better to pass on some tips than Mike Tindall, who appeared in 11 Championships as a player and this year is turning his hand to picking a potent fantasy XV.

Tindall, a centre himself, has opted for an intriguing midfield partnership which represents serious value.

The 11.4-star Ireland’s Stuart McCloskey, who made seven tackles and made 66 metres against Wales in Round 1, is paired with Ollie Lawrence, priced at just 9.3 stars and in from the start for England against Italy having come off the bench for the visit of Scotland.

The big-money picks come in the back three, where Tindall has selected Stuart Hogg (17.8 stars) alongside Damian Penaud (18.1 stars) and in-form Duhan van der Merwe (17.3 stars), who racked up a whopping 89.8 points over the course of his two-try starring role at Twickenham last weekend.

Incidentally, and perhaps unsurprisingly, Tindall is not the only one liking the look of the Scotland wing this weekend. Van der Merwe is the most selected player by Guinness Six Nations Fantasy Rugby players in the last 48 hours, ahead of teammate Finn Russell in second.

Tindall has gone for Russell’s opposite number in his selection, however, in Dan Biggar, with Antoine Dupont selected at scrum-half for France’s titanic clash with Ireland in Dublin.

The front row contains two props who impressed in Round 1. Danilo Fischetti scored 37.2 points and Andrew Porter picked up 23.3, the pair selected either side of 12.1-star priced Jamie George.

Richie Gray’s 15 tackles helped him to a 38.2-point haul last time out and Tindall is backing the Scot to have a similarly strong impact against Wales, pairing him with Maro Itoje in the second row.

The back three contains two players set for an intriguing face-off in Dublin, Charles Ollivon and Josh van der Flier, with Wales ace Jac Morgan completing the starting XV.

Henry Arundell, back from injury and back on England’s bench, is Tindall’s super sub this week, with Italy pair Giacomo Nicotera and Luca Morisi also among his replacements.

Mike Tindall’s Fantasy XV for Round 2: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Antoine Dupont; 1. Andrew Porter, 2 Jamie George, 3 Danilo Fischetti, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 Richie Gray, 6 Jac Morgan, 7 Charles Ollivon, 8 Josh van der Flier

Replacements: Henry Arundell (super sub), Giacomo Nicotera, Luca Morisi