Conor Murray said Ireland could have been more clinical against France but noted they had to be satisfied with a victory that keeps them in contention for the Six Nations Championship.
"It was a slow enough start," the try-scorer told RTÉ Sport after the 19-9 win. "We had a few chances on their line and didn't manage to convert. We stuck in the fight.
"With the weather they way it was, it was always going to be difficult. The conditions were really tough. We needed field position and we managed to get that at times.
"To beat France 19-9 at home is great. To have missed a few opportunities is a little bit frustrating but a win against the French is always good and we're still in the hunt for this Championship."
Huge drop goal from Johnny Sexton 13-6 #rterugby https://t.co/ZFFGd1tUOj pic.twitter.com/BTbufMeqQx
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) February 25, 2017
Murray praised the impact of the returning Johnny Sexton, who scored two penalties, a drop-goal and a conversion in a flawless display with the boot.
"Johnny's been in camp with us all through and he slotted in really well," said Man of the Match Murray.
"That 70-odd minutes will stand to him. It will put him in good stead for the next few weeks, which will be really tough against the Welsh and English."
Captain Rory Best was happy with the grit his team showed after going 6-0 down early on.
"It was a really tough game. The bit of rain made it very tough," he said.
"They're a very good side and we're very happy to grind out that win.
"There are elements of the game we'll be really happy with and elements we'll have to work a lot harder on.
"The good thing was that whenever they put us under pressure, we were able to get our defensive shape back.
"When we put them under pressure I think if we'd manage another phase or two at times we would have broken them, but that's for another day."
