England hooker Mark Regan made no apologies for 'getting under the skin' of the French side on Saturday night.
England hooker happy with his 'wind-up' role in Paris victory.
England hooker Mark Regan made no apologies for 'getting under the skin' of the French side on Saturday night, after Les Bleus coach Marc Lievremont labeled him a 'clown' for his behaviour.
Regan was in fiery mood throughout England's 24-13 victory in Paris which keeps the Six Nations Championship a wide open affair.
36-year-old Regan lasted 50 in the Stade de France when Brian Ashton brought him off just after he gave away a penalty for repeatedly punching Lionel Faure several times in the head.
Regan had done enough to irritate all the French inside the stadium though, and non more so than Lievremont
who launched his attack after the game, calling him a 'clown.'
Bristol man Regan though was thoroughly satisfied with his evening's work in the French capital.
Opinion
"The French have got their own opinion, haven't they?," said Regan.
"I am a bit disappointed he called me a clown, but when you come to France you have got to play on the edge and get under their skin somehow. If you don't, they will get under yours.
"They get irritated and it puts them off their game, doesn't it? I am selected to do a job, and that's to get under the skin of players.
"Brian Moore always did it, so I suppose I am following in his footsteps."
Regan left the pitch with howling boos and whistles from French fans ringing in his ears, and that was music to his ears.
The French forwards struggled to handle England's power throughout the match, and for Regan it was a job well done.
"I was disappointed to come off after 50 minutes," he added. "But I felt we had done the job by then."
Jeers
"To be booed off, I take that as a massive compliment. The whole of France hated me.
"We had to front up, each and every one of us, and get in their faces.
"It came to about the 60th minute, and we had cracked them. France started making lots of changes, and the job was done from our point of view.
"I take it as a compliment their coach getting all upset. We were underdogs, and you saw a lot of fighting spirit from all the guys. To beat France in their own back yard is a really good effort.
"No-one gave us a hope in hell, and we played some good rugby. The championship would have been over for us had we lost, but we are still in there with a sniff."
