Alan Quinlan believes that although Ireland will be disappointed with their 16-16 draw against Wales on Sunday they should be proud of their "fantastic defence" and performance in the absence of key players.
The former Ireland back-row told the RTÉ Sport rugby podcast 'The Rugby Show' that he thought there was "a reaction" from the players to Wales going into the game as favourites.
"I was impressed with Ireland, considering all the players that we've been missing, for various different reasons," said Quinlan.
"Wales are a very settled side, with a very settled coaching ticket as well, and a lot of confidence as well.
"They probably took a lot more out of the World Cup than we did. They were very depleted by injuries for sure, but they have better memories than we have, including a massive win against England at Twickenham.
"They're world-class players, including a lot of Lions players, and a lot guys who've won championships.
"For them coming to Dublin, you'd think 'Ireland win at home for sure' in normal circumstances but considering all the changes...
"I'm disappointed with not winning the game but everyone wrote Ireland off beforehand and what we saw yesterday was a reaction.
"When Wales got their noses in front you feared a little bit. They had a lot of possession and momentum in the second half but the Ireland defence was fantastic.
Ireland have been criticised for a perceived lack of flair in recent times but Quinlan believes they were the more ambitious side at the Aviva.
"I think we saw a fair bit of quality as well," he said. "There's been a lot of negativity around no offloads and being really safe but we saw a lot of strike moves.
"We were the ones who actually opened Wales up on a couple of occasions. We had some line breaks as opposed to Wales, who didn't really get any clean line breaks against us.
"I think we showed a fair bit of ambition for our first game. I'm disappointed with the result but pleased with the performance."
