Ireland coach Andy Farrell admitted Saturday the 36-20 scoreline against Japan flattered his much-changed team and he was relieved to get the win, but credited the grit of his players who stuck to their task.
Farrell shook up the starting side for the clash in Newcastle, north of Sydney, with nine changes from the line-up that beat Australia 33-31 last week.
Four players made their debuts with No 8 Sean Jansen starting the game and props Billy Bohan and Sam Illo and flanker Bryn Ward all coming on as second-half replacements.
The result was a mixed bag in the five tries to two win.
They won the scrum and ruck battle and improved defensively from last week.
But Ireland also conceded nine penalties, six in their own half.
"More relieved than anything. I think you know if you look at it, the scoreline is the scoreline and that's the reality," Farrell told reporters.
"But it flatters us probably a little bit, especially with the stop-start nature of the game.
"But I was just saying to the lads that that happens in sport, especially when you tinker a lot.
"We put them under a lot of pressure as coaches this week with all the changes, different combinations, lads not playing for a long time, and all of that."
Farrell said it was a worthwhile experiment, with fringe players gaining valuable test match experience.
"All in all, with the experience that they've got, the learnings, the takeaways, it's a good night at the office for us going forward, really, because there's a lot to take from that."