**France coach Marc Lievremont expressed his satisfaction after his team claimed a first Grand Slam since 2004 with a hard-fought win over England in Paris.**Lievremont was criticised for wholesale squad rotations early in his tenure after taking over the side in 2007, but his experiments have finally paid off.
“It is a very nice baby even if the birth was quite difficult,” he said.
“For the first time we have reached the end of a series and I can be satisfied. We have a Grand Slam to celebrate.”
France, who claimed their ninth Grand Slam in all, won the last of their five Six Nations titles in the 11 years of the expanded tournament under Bernard Laporte in 2007.
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“The French did to England what England did to France in 2003 in the WC when it was raining”
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In Lievremont’s first year in charge they finished third behind Grand Slam winners Wales and England and they came third behind Ireland and England 12 months ago.
The narrow 12-10 victory in Paris was Lievremont’s first win against England in three attempts.
“I am very proud of this team for the bravery they showed in the 80 minutes,” he added.
Lievremont’s team had built the platform for victory in the opening 40 minutes, particularly through their dominance in the scrum.
“We owe a lot to our forwards and I am happy for the forwards that Nicolas Mas was named man of the match,” acknowledged Lievremont. “No scrum, no win.”
A Francois Trinh-Duc drop-goal and three Morgan Parra penalties in reply to England’s converted Ben Foden try had given France a 12-7 half-time lead.
And, despite dominating the second period, Martin Johnson’s charges only registered one score after the break - a Jonny Wilkinson penalty - as France ground out a gritty victory to leave the French coach proud, if ever-so-slightly apologetic.
“I would have preferred us to take more control of the match and to have more of a spectacle, but the essential was to win,” he said.
"We were pragmatic. As for a spectacle, we did produce some during the five matches. It is five victories and a Grand Slam but we have to pay tribute to the England team.
“It was very difficult and they played their best against us. I was extremely relieved at the end of match.”
Crucial to France’s success was the back row formation of Thierry Dusautoir, Imanol Harinordoquy and Julien Bonnaire.
And captain Dusautoir hailed Les Bleus’ gargantuan effort in wet conditions in the French capital.
“Despite the weather, we won this game and beat England with a lot at stake,” he said.
"Honestly, I think we were better than England. But we had to search for something else to win, more pragmatism.
“In the rain, and with all that pressure, we reacted well. For once, the English did not beat us. We can be very proud with the end of the match.”
Lievremont became only the fourth person to win a Grand Slam as player and coach, following in the footsteps of compatriots Jean-Claude Skrela and Jacques Fouroux, and England’s Clive Woodward.
However, the former Biarritz back row was keen to deflect attention away from his achievement.
“I’m not here to write my personal history,” he said. “I am above all very happy for my players.”