They looked on course for their second win of this Six Nations campaign until Freddie Michalak converted a late Louis Picamoles try meaning Ireland had to settle for a draw.

Disappointed as he was not to get the win, Ryan took encouragement from the overall performance, which marked a step up from their collapse in Murrayfield.

“We put a mammoth effort in and we really thought it was there for the taking, a few things went against us,” the second row commented.

“I thought we were really physical. We asked for a reaction after the Scotland game which was very disappointing as a whole and that’s not the team we are.

“I definitely think we gave a massive reaction and it’s something we can be proud of.”

The Munster man was forced to watch the final stages of the game from the sidelines after picking up a shoulder knock but he isn’t considered among the main injury concerns ahead of the Round 6 meeting with Italy.

Ryan admitted it was difficult to look on as France clawed their way back into the game but he believes Philippe Saint-Andre’s men deserve credit for the resilience they showed.

“It was frustrating to watch. France got a bit of momentum going. With a scrum on our own line with our own put in, turning it over was quite disappointing.

“We did some really good things out there, we played the conditions really well and I thought we dominated them up front and it’s just frustrating to have a draw at the end of it, after all that effort.

“They had to chase the game and with a few breaking balls and knock-ons the momentum switches a little but you have to commend them, they came back well.”

Picamoles’ crucial late try came on the back of a scrum turnover after referee Steve Walsh pinged Ireland for wheeling.

While Ryan stopped short of blaming Walsh for the defeat he joined the chorus of players to express surprise at that vital scrum call, believing that Ireland were legitimately in control of the set-piece.

“From our view it was disappointing to let that try in at the end, a bit bemused as well with that scrum at the end as we seemed to have the impetus going forward.

“I thought we were very strong in the scrum ourselves, I felt very confident over with Cian (Healy) and I didn’t think we were going back at all really.”

Switching focus to preparations for Italy, Ryan hinted that he should be fit and ready to play, describing his shoulder injury as “just a bang.”

The news is less positive for Eoin Reddan who suffered a broken leg late in Saturday’s game while Brian O’Driscoll and Luke Marshall face a race against time to prove their fitness ahead of the trip to Rome.