Rugby World Cup – 15 fund managers to make a winning team

A winning rugby team – much like a winning investment portfolio – needs a diverse mix of talent. Investors must identify funds’ strengths to determine their portfolio positions.

“A successful rugby team requires 15 people at the top of their game, performing a distinct role, to pull together for glory,” says Hargreaves Lansdown senior analyst Joseph Hill.

“It is not a stretch to see the analogy for a successful investment portfolio. Diversification is key to profitability – and topping a tournament.

“You want different players that excel at different times and in different positions, some to provide ballast in uncertainty, others to add risk and drive.

“By diversifying across a range of asset classes, sectors, styles and geographies, you can help to maintain your balance during different market conditions.”

With just two weeks until the Rugby World Cup kicks off on 8 September, Hill picks the fund managers he would choose for his first 15.

Number	Position	Player	Rationale
1	Prop	Martin Lau FSSA Asia Focus	A conservative investor at heart, Lau offers the pack some much needed stability to build from.
2	Hooker	Alex Wright Fidelity Special Situations	A talented stock picker, you can rely on this manager to hit their line out targets.
3	Prop	Anthony Cross Liontrust UK Growth	A core contribution to this team from one of the architects of the economic advantage process
4	Second row	Sebastian Lyon Troy Trojan	Boasting a strong record of capital preservation, you can rely on this veteran’s ability to avoid being driven backwards.
5	Second row	Charlotte Yonge Troy Trojan Ethical	With a steely focus on achieving lower volatility than global stock markets, Yonge is calm and collected when others aren’t.
6	Flanker	Stephen Snowden Artemis Corporate Bond	Competitive, experienced and tenacious – all qualities a flanker needs to get the team on the front foot.
7	Flanker	Grace Le Artemis Corporate Bond	With an eye for the right bond, Le is always primed to turn over the next opportunity.
8	Number 8	Adrian Frost Artemis Income	After seeing it all through a multi decade career, few are better placed to assess the risks & opportunities from behind the scrum.
9	Scrum half	Eva Sun Wai M&G Global Macro Bond	A rising star with energy and intelligence who’s been undaunted by stepping up early on.
10	Fly half	Tom Slater Baillie Gifford American	A dose of exciting high growth potential to disrupt the opposition defence and ignite the backline.
11	Wing	Lloyd Harris Premier Miton Corporate Bond Monthly Income	Managing a corporate bond fund with an 300-500% annual turnover rate, this manager won’t be shy in coming off his wing hunting for work.
12	Inside centre	Nick Kirrage Schroder Global Recovery	A disciplined value investor through thick and thin, Kirrage won’t have a problem sticking to the crash ball running line.
13	Outside centre	Johanna Kyrklund Schroder Managed Balanced	With one of the sharpest multi asset minds in the industry, Kyrklund has an eye for a valuation gap, whichever market it might appear in.
14	Wing	Claudia Calich M&G Emerging Markets Bond	Emerging markets expert Calich is used to dealing with the unexpected in pursuit of positive returns.
15	Full back	Jim Leaviss M&G Global Macro Bond	Well versed in surveying all corners of the bond market, you can rely on Leaviss to be positioned in the right place at the right time.