Reason to be cheerful: France captain Thierry Dusautoir and coach Marc Lievremont © Getty Images

As the dust settles on this year's battle for Six Nations glory it is time to choose our Team of the Championship.

France celebrated their 100th Championship with their ninth Grand Chelem and unsurprisingly their dominance is reflected in our selection - but how many of Marc Lievremont's charges get the nod in our team? None of France's title rivals managed to derail their Championship challenge but have any of their players earned a place in our side?

Here's who caught our eye and as ever we would love to hear you thoughts:

15. Clement Poitrenaud (France)
The Toulouse star was back to his devastating best in this year's Championship with a series of outstanding displays. He played with a breath-taking confidence and his ability to spark an attack from nothing is a joy to behold - and there were none of the dreadful errors that have plagued his career.

14. Tommy Bowe (Ireland)
The Irish speedster's star continues to rise. Two tries against England and another against the Scots cemented his reputation as a world-class finisher. Lethal in attack and tenacious in defence, he poses a threat all over the field.

13. James Hook (Wales)
Hook began a new chapter in his international career with a move to outside centre at the start of the Championship and took to it like a duck to water. Wales may have struggled for consistency but they can rest easy that they have found a long-term home for Hook's undoubted talent - and he weighed in with three tries to help cement his selection.

12. Yannick Jauzion (France)
The veteran's centre partner Mathieu Bastareaud may have stolen most the headlines but Jauzion thrived in a supporting role - grabbing two tries with his usual mix of power and pace.

11. Shane Williams (Wales)
Young guns may have stolen a lot of the headlines but old stager Williams showed he could still get the job done with the match-clinching score against the Scots and his 50th for his country against France - he may be 33 but there is life in him yet.

10. Francois Trinh-Duc (France)
Handed a rare extended run in the side, Trinh-Duc has repaid the faith shown in him by Lievremont by forming a lethal half-back pairing with Morgan Parra. Not quite the finished article but at just 23 years old he has time on his side.

9. Morgan Parra (France)
Not only the best scrum-half in the Championship but the most valuable place-kicker - notably booting his side to Grand Slam glory against England. The 21-year-old thrived on the responsibility handed to him by his coach and orchestrated his side's charge to the title.

1. Thomas Domingo (France)
Another of France's young guns, the 24-year-old Domingo came of age in this year's Championship and repeatedly punched above his weight at scrum time.

2. William Servat (France)
An ever-present throughout the Championship and another of the pillars of the French forward effort - and he even doubled his international try tally - to two.

3. Nicolas Mas (France)
A formidable scrummager who helped wreak havoc throughout the Championship. And he claimed a rare Man of the Match honour for the front row union with a calculated display against England.

4. Simon Shaw (England)
There were not that many high points for England in the Championship but the physical element provided by Shaw was definitely one of them. There are plenty of miles on the clock but he is still a formidable presence at the set piece and in the loose.

5. Julien Pierre (France)
The Bourgoin lock's chance came and he grabbed it with both hands and held off the challenge of crowd-favourite Sebastien Chabal in the process. And he allayed any fears with some accomplished performances.

6. Kelly Brown (Scotland)
Like the equally formidable Killer Bs - John Barclay and Johnnie Beattie, possesses a potent mix of strength and intelligence and used both to good effect to get the better of more illustrious opponents.

7. Thierry Dusautoir (France)
The all-round excellence of the French skipper was the bond that held his side together on the rare occasion they were under the cosh. His dynamism knows no bounds and could snaffle the Player of the Championship honour from Harinordoquy and Parra.

8. Imanol Harinordoquy (France)
The warrior-like Harinodoquy is favourite for the Player of the Championship honour thanks to a string of vintage performances. More often than not the driving force behind a dominant French pack and showed an unrivalled hunger for work.

Well, there you go. And to think last year's Team of the Championship did not include one Frenchman.

Lewis Moody will lead his country for the first time against France on Saturday night © Getty Images

OK - it may have taken an injury to break the seemingly unbreakable bond between England manager Martin Johnson and Steve Borthwick but as the saying goes - out of adversity comes opportunity - in this case for Lewis Moody.

The 31-year-old flanker will lead his country for the first time against France on Saturday night and has a real chance to stake a claim for the role on a permanent basis. I have long pushed his claims for the captaincy and it appeared that after an outstanding series of displays in the autumn during an otherwise disappointing campaign that his time had come. But sadly no. Johnson stood by his man - as he has done since appointing him on his arrival in the post in 2008 - although he appeared to flirt with the possibility of a change by not re-appointing Borthwick when he announced his squad for the Six Nations - opting to keep the media guessing until the opening game.

Borthwick has been the subject of much criticism since assuming the captaincy with many questioning his on-field leadership and his performances. To be fair to the Sarries lock, he has rediscovered some form of late and is a key lineout technician but still wants for dynamism elsewhere which is one element that Moody has in abundance.

The Bath-bound star can often be seen throwing himself into ruck and re-starts and charging headlong into a flying boot and it is that crowd-pleasing approach that has won him many fans since he stepped up to the international arena in 2001. A Rugby World Cup winner with England in 2003 and a tourist with the British & Irish Lions in 2005 he is no stranger to the big stage and is no longer the loose-cannon that managed to get himself sent off against Samoa a few years back. He is also equally able and eloquent in front of the cameras which may also go in his favour as England look to counter claims that they are also losing their way off the field.

The task facing Moody is a daunting one. France are in sensational form and have been the best side in this year's Championship by some way. But no doubt he will tackle the task and the captaincy with the same kind of verve that has served him so well up until now.

©Sean TW Cartoons

What do you think of our cartoons courtesy of Sean TW Cartoons? Want more of the same? Be sure to let us know...

© Sean TW Cartoons

What do you think of our cartoons courtesy of Sean TW Cartoons? Want more of the same? Be sure to let us know...

England skipper Steve Borthwick chats to referee Marius Jonker during his side's recent clash with Scotland © Getty Images

As expected, the introduction of southern hemisphere referees into this year's Six Nations mix has caused more than a few ripples with their interpretation of the tackle law a point of confusion but instead of pointing the finger at the officials themselves the blame should be heaped on the International Rugby Board for making a pig's ear of their latest attempt to improve the game as a spectacle.

The lack of a global calendar is always going to cause problems when changes are made to how the game is played - a fact that has been underlined by the IRB's edict regarding Law 15.6.c that demanded referees apply all of the law regarding to the tackle.

The decision to put a stronger emphasis on all the law regarding to the tackle (in effect make sure a tackler releases the ball-carrier when he goes to ground before re-engaging effect) was taken at the referees conference in November last year and stressed again in February according to Paddy O'Brien, the IRB's referees manager but the message obviously did not get through to all parties.

SANZAR embraced the directive, that was issued during their off-season, and all the participating sides and officials were therefore singing from the same hymn sheet when the Super 14 kicked off in February. The problem for the northern hemisphere is that the ruling came midway through the European season when such a change in emphasis would not be so straightforward and any tinkering would be met with criticism from all sides.

As a result there was a problem looming long before the Six Nations kicked off last month and this was magnified when the southern hemisphere officials were despatched north with O'Brien urging them to apply the directive when handling the high profile Championship clashes - despite the fact that they would not be entering the equation until round three of the competition.

The likes of Jonathan Kaplan, Marius Jonker, Mark Lawrence and Craig Joubert did as they were told and as a result you can understand the anger and confusion of those coaches and players forced to accept different interpretations from one week to the next. The Six Nations is arguably the most high-profile rugby event outside of the Rugby World Cup and toying with such an imortant event was a mistake. Officals should be grateful that their mis-management has not resulted in an even bigger disaster.

The Irish Times went so far as to say it the issue had "landed like a grenade" in the middle of the Six Nations and although a little dramatic you can understand the sentiment. It should never have got to this point and the IRB must shoulder the blame for such a half-hearted attempt to inject life into the game no matter how sound their original intention.

A breakdown in comunication? Maybe. But still not acceptable. The IRB should have briefed the coaches before the start of the Championship and not weeks into the battle for the northern hemisphere crown. The referees were reportedly contacted on the eve of the Championship for the purposes of clarifying the ruling but the message obviously did not hit home judging by the apparent differences in interpretation. And it would probably help if the media were kept informed on such matters to help the wider rugby public keep across any changes.

Europe's leading unions should have also seen this coming - especially the RFU given their previous concern over the tackle area. If the RFU and their rivals were in the loop as of November last year they should have acted accordingly to prevent the issue blighting the Six Nations. They will be better served by embracing the changes as they will be in play between now and Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand.

Law 15: Tackle – ball carrier brought to ground.

15.6.c: Players in opposition to the ball carrier who remain on their feet who bring the ball carrier to ground so that the player is tackled must release the ball and the ball carrier. Those players may then play the ball providing they are on their feet and do so from behind the ball and from directly behind the tackled player or a tackler closest to those players’ goal line.

Sanction: Penalty kick.

Former Wales international Scott Quinnell (@ScottQuinnell) tries to squeeze into a Ferrari owned by Chris Evans @achrisevans © Twitpic

The Twitter phenomenon shows no signs of slowing down with the 10 billionth tweet posted on the micro-blogging site this week - and among that deluge were these gems...

"Watching top gear! This show makes me wish I had a porche or a lambo or a bently how good!!!! I can dream ??"
Rising Reds star Quade Cooper sets his sights on some new wheels.

"We fought like brave man out there .That game was ours .We were denied a penalty try and made small errors ,but its coming .I can feel it."
Sharks prop Tendai Mtawarira assures fans that his side are close to getting things right - after four straight defeats in the Super 14.

"Is watching Roadhouse because Mum and Dad never allowed me to when I was younger. Score!"
Bath's Olly Barkley shows some fondness for a Patrick Swayze classic.

"Rotate your right foot clockwise and then your right hand anticlockwise that's what happens to me when i try and play the guitar AND sing."
London Irish lock Nick Kennedy admit his plans for life after rugby are still a work in progress.

"Took a few quid off Rob Kearney playing darts last night. The practice in camp is paying off."
Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll not only sets the standard on the field but in the team's games room.

"have 2 grow face hair in SA rookies have 2 grow a mo, under 24 games full goatie,25-49 chops f**k thats me.ova 50 anything they want"The Hurricanes' Cory Jane reveals one of the tour rules as his side begin the South African leg of their Super 14 campaign.

"looking forward to catching up with my #capetown tweeps... wat day is good for "@neyza twitter lunch" this week? my shout ya dig!...."
The Hurricanes' Neemia Tialata offers to shout lunch for his followers in Cape Town - that could end up messy - has he not heard about what happen when you advertise a house party on Facebook?

"Just understand dudes,things written on here end up as quotes in the paper.I can feel them watching us all now!!:)"
Former Cardiff Blues and now Crusaders rugby league star Gareth Thomas is wary of watching eyes.

"I love the fact that the crusaders jerseys have got the 3 feathers over it and is red..Makes me feel good.."
And just to prove him right I thought I would post his views on his new playing kit. Enough said.

"Fruit pastills have just made a comeback too my car picnic. I might get refreshers if they still do them."
England and Stade Francais flanker James Haskell does not seem too concerned about the tug-of-war over his services - preferring to re-stock his car with sweets.

"Gutted about Stade loss. I'm off to the gym. Would have gone earlier but dog ran away for 4hrs. He is back."
But Haskell did remember to check the result (his side took a hammering at the hands of Toulouse in front of 80,000 at the Stade de France).

We remind you that none of the above accounts have been verified but we're happy to take the chance for your entertainment - but would anyone masquerade as Nick Kennedy?

Sharks fly-half Andy Goode has made a headline-grabbing start to his Super Rugby career © Getty Images

I was never the greatest fan of Andy Goode when he was plying his trade in the Premiership for Leicester Tigers and Saracens, in the Top 14 for Brive or on those occasions 17 occasions he was handed the England No.10 shirt but I have found myself wanting to fight the under-fire fly-half's corner since his shock switch to the Super 14's Sharks.

His surprise short-term move came in the wake of personnel crisis at the Durban-based franchise that had seen them lose Argentine playmaker Juan Martin Hernandez to injury and fellow fly-half Steve Meyer into retirement. Eyebrows were immediately raised at coach John Plumtree's decision to sign Goode despite his international credentials because he is not in the same crowd-pleasing class as Hernandez or his predecessor, the equally flamboyant Frenchman Frederic Michalak.

Goode did not help himself by getting sin-binned on his debut against the Crusaders last weekend just a few minutes after coming off the bench in Christchurch. His high tackle on opposite number Dan Carter drew scorn from New Zealand commentators who could not resist the "Andy wasn't very good" pun.

Goode was the subject of more ridicule on his first start for the Sharks on Saturday with the Waratahs providing the opposition in Sydney. The Fox Sports commentary team (including Rod Kafer who was Goode's rival for the Tigers and Sarries No.10 shirt) delighted in mocking his hair ("the only comb-over in the Super 14") and his approach to the game ("something tells me his is not a running fly-half") but Goode himself offered them more ammunition by collecting his second yellow card in as many weeks for a silly ruck infringement that he immediately regretted.

However, Goode did offer a timely reminder of what he can do with a long range drop goal in the opening minutes - a technique no doubt refined in the drop goal-loving Top 14. Despite a key penalty miss in the second half, he did enough to suggest he will retain the No.10 shirt next week for next leg of his five-week Super Rugby sojourn. But things will not get any easier in Canberra where the Brumbies and Wallabies fly-half Matt Giteau await.

Goode would accept that he has never been the most dynamic of No.10s and he has never had the ability to ghost through defences with the apparent ease of the likes of Carter and Giteau. But his lofty position in the Premiership's all-time points scorers list and his similar status in the Top 14 in the last couple of seasons tells you that he will always keep the scoreboard ticking over.

I'm still not a fan but object to the way he is being treated and ridiculed as if he is the flag-bearer for the northern hemisphere in the Super 14 - partly because he is not the best we can offer (they may get a shock is they think Danny Cipriani is from the same mould). I don't want him to take flak from a southern hemisphere rugby community that is still angry about not getting their way over the ELVs.

A little later this year the soon-to-be 30-year-old will find himself back on the Premiership stage with Worcester and Warriors fans can rest assured that Goode will be a better player for his Super Rugby experience and he may well have the last laugh.