Rob Howley savoured a "pretty special day" after Wales claimed their first win against France in the Stade de France since 2005.
Wing George North's 73rd-minute try sealed a 16-6 win for Wales, while full-back Leigh Halfpenny kicked three penalties and a conversion to end a run of eight successive defeats.
The victory, which was Rob Howley's first as interim head coach, came as sweet relief for the Welsh, whose previous win was over the Barbarians last May.
"It is a pretty special day for the Wales team," Howley said. "We kept on saying we hadn't become a bad team overnight. Fine margins are the difference in Test match rugby.
"The players showed character and our defence put France under a lot of pressure. The players deserve all the accolades."
France failed to score a try against Wales for the third successive game - a barren run that includes the 2011 World Cup semi-final in New Zealand - as they were restricted to two Frederic Michalak penalties.
And an outstanding defensive performance was not lost on Howley or Wales defence specialist Shaun Edwards.
"It was a huge defensive effort - we defended particularly well," Howley added.
"We were effective in terms of putting pressure on the ball, and our defence was absolutely outstanding."
And Edwards said: "France seem to bring the best out of us in defence. We respect and fear their attack so much that it brings the best out of us.
"That was the third successive game they haven't scored a try against us."
Wales now move on to an appointment with Italy in Rome later this month, but life is not about to get any easier for France, who face England at Twickenham and then Ireland in Dublin.
Kick on
"The belief and confidence you can get from a result like this is so important, and we can take that with us to Italy now," Howley said.
"The important thing is it that it hasn't felt like we had lost seven or eight games on the bounce. The one thing these guys have continually done is worn that jersey with pride and given 100%.
"Today, we came on the right side of the scoreboard. The players deserve all the plaudits. There are three games to go, but we have to enjoy tonight."
Captain Ryan Jones added: "France is one of the most difficult places to come and win. We talked about the battle it takes to come here and win.
"It was by no means a flawless diplay, but we worked incredibly hard. We fronted-up and we were bold and brave.
"You have got to tackle a team like France head-on, and I thought we did that."
Difficult time
The French team were booed off the pitch by a capacity crowd, and they now find themselves propping up the table after losses to Italy and Wales. The wooden spoon is a distinct possibility.
"It is a difficult time for us - we know we can't win the Six Nations anymore," France coach Philippe Saint-Andre said.
"It was most frustrating. Our defence went better this week, but we had the opportunities to score and did not convert them, whereas Wales scored from their only opportunity.
"Wales were very aggressive in the rucks and tackles, and we lost the ball many times. When we won turnovers we were not able to use the ball properly.
"Wales were the better team. They were clinical - they had one chance and they took it. They never gave up after losing eight games in a row, and they got their reward.
"We are at the bottom of the Six Nations, but we must not give up and we need to play with more precision.
"We must not be scared. England at Twickenham is a fantastic challenge. You can fight for pride and show desire, and we need to do that in two weeks' time."
