By Andy Reynolds
August 23 2005

ERE Fantasy Rugby makes its long awaited return (well it’s returning whether you like it or not!) and this year as well as the three main West Country teams (now that Bristol have rejoined the main table) you will be choosing players from the Saints, and for the first time Worcester.

Welcome to the ERE Fantasy Rugby for the 2005/6 season!

Entry is once again FREE and this year Bath_mp will be providing the prize (to be specified) as the returning Champion Fantasy Manager.

Rules - Entries to be sent to bathrugbyere_fantasyrugby@hotmail.com; I will confirm receipt and inclusion in the contest.  Please include a team name and your name (messageboard sign-on or real I don't mind), and your allegiance so that we can compare results of managers across teams supported.

  Deadline for entry (without penalty) is 15:00 Saturday 3^rd of September 2005 and there is an exciting first week in prospect as 4 of the 5 teams in the fantasy league are playing each other.  You may enter teams after this time but your team will not score for the weeks you have missed.

Please note: if you win you will be expected to provide the prize for the following season’s fantasy league.  It need not be anything of huge financial value, just something that any self-respecting rugby fan would be happy to receive. 

• Each fantasy team must include 3 players from each of the GP teams included the player pool (Bath/Bris/Glaws/Saints/Wuss).
  
  
• Each team must have 1 Hooker, 2 Props, 2 Locks, 2 Flankers, 1 Number 8, 1 Scrum Half, 1 Fly Half, 2 Centres, 2 Wings, 1 Fullback.
  
  
• No team can have more than 1 player from the same GP team in the same position; applies to Props, Locks, Flankers, Centres and Wings e.g. you cannot have Olly at inside centre and Frikkie at outside centre.  If you want to play players out of position do it within reason; I reserve the right to refuse a team if I think you are taking the mickey.

Substitutions This season there will be 4 transfer windows where you will be able to prepare for the loss of your international players to the Autumn internationals and the 6 nations, and then pick up the pieces when they return injured.  Choose wisely to make some ground on those teams above you or maintain your lead if you’re ahead of the pack. 

The transfer windows for this season are as follows:

1.       Autumn Internationals Start, 5 November 2005 – 13 November 2005 between GP round 6 and 7

2.       International players return, 25 November 2005 – 26 December 2005 between GP round 9 and 10

3.       Six Nations Start, 28 January 2006 – 12 February 2006 between GP round 13 and 14

4.       International players return, 11 March 2006 – 25 March 2006 between GP round 9 and 10

In each of these windows you can make up to 5 substitutions but the team must conform to the rules above.  You are not obligated to make any subs if you are confident in your initial choices.

ABOVE ALL: The Judge’s decision (that mine that is) is final! No correspondence will be entered into blah, blah, blah …… Do I look bovvered?

Scoring For each match, each player that takes to the field for any amount of time will score:

3 points for starting the game

1 point for coming on as a sub

1 point if their team wins

2 points if their team scores more than 40 points

5 points for each try they score

5 point bonus for each hat trick of tries they score

2 points for each conversion they make

3 points for each penalty they successfully kick

3 points for each drop goal they successfully kick

And this year

-5 points for each yellow card they receive

-10 points for each red card they receive

If the player does not play (injured, warms the bench, not selected) they get nothing!

Player Pool

Chris Brooker - Hooker (Bath)

Dave Ward - Hooker (Bath)

David Ward - Hooker (Bath)

Lee Mears - Hooker (Bath)

Pieter Dixon - Hooker (Bath)

Rob Hawkins - Hooker (Bath)

Mark Regan - Hooker (Bristol)

Neil Clark - Hooker (Bristol)

Saul Nelson - Hooker (Bristol)

James Parkes - Hooker (Gloucester)

Mefin Davies - Hooker (Gloucester)

Olivier Azam - Hooker (Gloucester)

Rob Elloway - Hooker (Gloucester)

Dan Richmond - Hooker (Northampton)

Steve Thompson - Hooker (Northampton)

Andre Van Niekerk - Hooker (Worcester)

Chris Fortey - Hooker (Worcester)

 

Aaron Jarvis - Prop (Bath)

Christian Loader - Prop (Bath)

David Barnes - Prop (Bath)

David Flatman - Prop (Bath)

Duncan Bell - Prop (Bath)

Laurence Ovens - Prop (Bath)

Matt Stevens - Prop (Bath)

Robbie Dugard - Prop (Bath)

Alex Clarke - Prop (Bristol)

Darren Crompton - Prop (Bristol)

Dave Hilton - Prop (Bristol)

Jason Hobson - Prop (Bristol)

Mark Irish   - Prop (Bristol)

Martin Rospide - Prop (Bristol)

Wayne Thompson - Prop (Bristol)

Gary Powell - Prop (Gloucester)

Nick Wood - Prop (Gloucester)

Patrice Collazo - Prop (Gloucester)

Phil Vickery - Prop (Gloucester)

Terry Sigley - Prop (Gloucester)

Brett Sturgess - Prop (Northampton)

Chris Budgen - Prop (Northampton)

Colin Noon - Prop (Northampton)

Luke Harbut - Prop (Northampton)

Pat Barnard - Prop (Northampton)

Simon Emms - Prop (Northampton)

Tom Smith - Prop (Northampton)

Chris Horsman - Prop (Worcester)

Emiliano Bergamaschi - Prop (Worcester)

Lee Fortey - Prop (Worcester)

Steven Sparks - Prop (Worcester)

Tony Windo - Prop (Worcester)

 

Dan Smith - Lock/Back Row (Bath)

Danny Grewcock - Lock (Bath)

James Hudson - Lock (Bath)

Mike Myerscough - Lock (Bath)

Peter Short - Lock/Back Row (Bath)

Rob Fidler - Lock (Bath)

Steve Borthwick - Lock (Bath)

Gareth Llewellyn - Lock (Bristol)

Mariano Sambucetti - Lock (Bristol)

Ollie Hodge - Lock (Bristol)

Ollie Kohn - Lock (Bristol)

Roy Winters - Lock (Bristol)

Adam Eustace - Lock (Gloucester)

Alex Brown - Lock (Gloucester)

Jonathan Pendlebury - Lock (Gloucester)

Mark Cornwell - Lock (Gloucester)

Damien Browne - Lock (Northampton)

James Percival - Lock (Northampton)

Matt Lord - Lock (Northampton)

Selborne Boome - Lock (Northampton)

Craig Gillies - Lock (Worcester)

Ed O'Donaghue - Lock (Worcester)

Phil Murphy - Lock (Worcester)

Richard Blaze - Lock (Worcester)

Tim Collier - Lock (Worcester)

 

Andy Beattie - Back Row (Bath)

Gareth Delve - Back Row (Bath)

James Miller - Back Row (Bath)

James Scaysbrook - Flanker (Bath)

Michael Lipman - Flanker (Bath)

Chris Morgan - Flanker (Bristol)

Craig Short - Back Row (Bristol)

Geraint Lewis - Back Row (Bristol)

Joe El Abd - Flanker (Bristol)

Matt Salter - Back Row (Bristol)

Richard Martin-Redman - Back Row (Bristol)

Andy Hazell - Flanker (Gloucester)

James Merriman - Flanker (Gloucester)

Luke Narraway - Back Row (Gloucester)

Peter Buxton - Back Row (Gloucester)

Will Matthews - Back Row (Gloucester)

Ben Lewitt - Flanker (Northampton)

Brett McNamee - Back Row (Northampton)

Darren Fox - Flanker (Northampton)

Grant Seely - Back Row/Lock (Northampton)

Mark Soden - Back Row (Northampton)

Ross Beattie - Back Row/Lock (Northampton)

Sam Harding - Flanker (Northampton)

Drew Hickey - Back Row (Worcester)

Johnny Taumoheloa - Back Row (Worcester)

Kai Horstmann - Back Row (Worcester)

Leon Greeff - Back Row (Worcester)

Pat Sanderson - Back Row (Worcester)

Siaosi Vaili - Back Row (Worcester)

 

Chris Goodman - Number 8 (Bath)

Zak Fea'unati - Number 8 (Bath)

Dan Ward-Smith - Number 8 (Bristol)

Adam Balding - Number 8 (Gloucester)

James Forrester - Number 8 (Gloucester)

Dan Browne - Number 8 (Northampton)

 

Andy Williams - Scrum Half (Bath)

Martyn Wood - Scrum Half (Bath)

Mike Baxter - Scrum Half (Bath)

Nick Walshe - Scrum Half (Bath)

Sam Alford - Scrum Half (Bath)

Greg Nicholls - Scrum Half (Bristol)

Jacob Rauluni - Scrum Half (Bristol)

Ross Blake - Scrum Half (Bristol)

Shaun Perry - Scrum Half (Bristol)

Haydn Thomas - Scrum Half (Gloucester)

Peter Richards - Scrum Half (Gloucester)

Ben Jones - Scrum Half (Northampton)

Johnny Howard - Scrum Half (Northampton)

Mark Robinson - Scrum Half (Northampton)

Andy Gomarsall - Scrum Half (Worcester)

Matt Powell - Scrum Half (Worcester)

 

Andy Dunne - Fly Half (Bath)

Chris Malone - Fly Half (Bath)

Olly Barkley - Fly Half (Bath)

Danny Gray - Fly Half (Bristol)

Jason Strange - Fly Half (Bristol)

Rory Teague - Fly Half (Bristol)

Tommy Hayes - Fly Half (Bristol)

Brad Davies - Fly Half (Gloucester)

Duncan McRae - Fly Half/Fullback (Gloucester)

Ludovic Mercier - Fly Half (Gloucester)

Ryan Lamb - Fly Half (Gloucester)

Simon Amor - Fly Half/Scrum Half (Gloucester)

Carlos Spencer - Fly Half (Northampton)

Luke Myring - Fly Half (Northampton)

James Brown - Fly Half (Worcester)

Shane Drahm - Fly Half (Worcester)

 

Alex Crockett - Centre (Bath)

Andrew Higgins - Centre (Bath)

Frikkie Welsh - Centre/Wing (Bath)

Michael Mangeolles - Centre (Bath)

Spencer Davey - Centre (Bath)

Spencer Davey - Centre (Bath)

Tom Cheeseman - Centre (Bath)

Andy Reay - Centre (Bristol)

Jon Pritchard - Centre (Bristol)

Manuel Contepomi - Centre (Bristol)

Mark Denney - Centre (Bristol)

Rob Higgitt - Centre (Bristol)

Sam Cox - Centre (Bristol)

Anthony Allen - Centre (Gloucester)

Henry Paul - Centre (Gloucester)

Jack Adams - Centre (Gloucester)

Mike Tindall - Centre (Gloucester)

Terry Fanolua - Centre (Gloucester)

Andy Vilk - Centre (Northampton)

David Quinlan - Centre (Northampton)

Geoff Appleford - Centre (Northampton)

Neil Starling - Centre (Northampton)

Rhodri Davies - Centre (Northampton)

Seamus Mallon - Centre (Northampton)

Ben Hinshelwood - Centre (Worcester)

Dale Rasmussen - Centre (Worcester)

Gary Trueman - Centre (Worcester)

Mark Tucker - Centre/Wing (Worcester)

Thomas Lombard - Centre (Worcester)

 

David Bory - Wing (Bath)

Joe Maddock - Wing/Fullback (Bath)

Brian Lima - Wing (Bristol)

David Lemi - Wing (Bristol)

Lee Robinson - Wing (Bristol)

Marko Stanojevic - Wing (Bristol)

James Bailey - Wing (Gloucester)

James Simpson-Daniel - Wing/Centre (Gloucester)

Marcel Garvey - Wing (Gloucester)

Mark Foster - Wing (Gloucester)

Ben Cohen - Wing (Northampton)

John Rudd - Wing (Northampton)

Sean Lamont - Wing (Northampton)

Jonny Hylton - Wing (Worcester)

Uche Odouza - Wing (Worcester)

 

Kieron Lewitt - Fullback/Wing (Bath)

Lee Best - Fullback (Bath)

Matt Perry - Fullback (Bath)

Michael Stephenson - Fullback (Bath)

Nick Abendanon - Fullback/Wing (Bath)

Peter Murchie - Fullback/Wing (Bath)

Ryan Davis - Fullback/Flyhalf/Centre (Bath)

Bernardo Stortoni - Fullback (Bristol)

Sean Marsden - Fullback (Bristol)

Vaughan Going - Fullback (Bristol)

Jon Goodridge - Fullback (Gloucester)

Olly Morgan - Fullback (Gloucester)

Rob Thirlby - Fullback/Wing (Gloucester)

Bruce Reihana - Fullback (Northampton)

Jon Clarke - Fullback/Wing (Northampton)

Nicholas Le Roux - Fullback/Wing (Worcester)

Thinus Delport - Fullback (Worcester)