The late 27-23 victory at the Stade de France put an end to Les Bleus' title hopes, which were resting on scoring four tries or more and a winning margin of more than 20 points.
"I wouldn't say it frustrated it us, it fuelled us. They were talking about winning by 20 points," Ritchie said.
"We were confident going into the game. When they start talking about winning by 20 points it's fuel to the fire.
"I wouldn't say it was upsetting, it was good for us," he added.
The Dark Blues finished fourth in the Championship after home defeats to Wales and Ireland.
Ritchie said the next step for the team was to battle for higher up in the standings.
"I think potentially putting ourselves in a position to be in that top end of the table. I think if the Wales game (25-24 loss) goes the other way we win the tournament," he said.
"We've been in every game we've played even if we haven't been at our best. I think about Ireland. We were still in within touching distance.
"For us the next level is in those games where maybe we're not at our best we grind out wins and put together performances week after week. The next level is, we're yet to see, but we're going in the right direction," he added.
(AFP)
