Ireland head coach Andy Farrell said he was "made-up" for his players after a win over "class outfit" Japan in the Aviva Stadium.
In front of 3,000 spectators, Ireland eventually saw off an exhilarating Japan team, the hosts' five tries edging out the tourists' four.
Having struggled against the pace and invention of the Japanese attack, Ireland still trailed as the clock entered the red at the end of the first half, before the pack shunted over to sneak the hosts in front at the break, Finlay Bealham the man to ground the ball.
Though they had to be wary of the Japan blitzkreig, the second half saw a more controlled display from Ireland and they dominated the final quarter to win 39-31 in the end.
"I'm absolutely made up for the players. It was so important for them to make sure they won here at the Aviva," Farrell told RTÉ Sport afterwards.
"It was a big game for a lot of them, (they were) given an opportunity. Quite a few of them took that chance.
"I was really pleased for them. I thought the endeavour was fantastic. Obviously, it wasn't perfect. It was our first hit out, it'd be Japan's third.
"But we're absolutely delighted with the win. Why? Because they're a class outfit, aren't they? A dangerous outfit, so we'd be made up with that.
"We were our own worst enemy in the first half regarding error after error. They were really physical in the first half as well
"It wasn't perfect in the second half either. But we kept pushing forward and kept trying to be positive and scored some great tries in the end. But the most pleasing thing I thought was that, even though we had a few setbacks, we stayed in it. In the second half, we were going after them, especially in the last 20 minutes."
Munster back row Gavin Coombes was the only debutant to see action, coming on for provincial team-mate Peter O'Mahony in the final 10 minutes.
Farrell indicated the plan is for him to see a greater portion of action next week against USA.
"We'll see how people shape up. But that would be a plan. America play tomorrow against England so we'll see them. We'll dust ourselves down, celebrate Gavin's first cap as well this evening and get back to work Monday."
Man of the Match Josh van der Flier, who put Ireland back in front with their fourth try on 48 minutes, told RTÉ Sport that the players were delighted with the win against high quality opponents.
"It was a tough game, Japan are a really quality side. They'll trouble pretty much every team they play. We saw it last week against the Lions.
"We really had to dig in. It was a disappointing first half for us, we could have been a bit better. But I thought we showed a lot of control against a very good Japanese side.
"They're a top quality side, they deserve all the credit they got. We saw how good they were in the World Cup. We knew it'd be a big challenge today and they certainly lived up to that.
"There were things we weren't so pleased about, conceding a lot of points. I thought different pieces of our attack and defence could have been better. But it's a very good Japanese side and we're pleased with the win."
