Ireland vs. Wales: Winners and Losers from 2016 RBS 6 Nations Clash

The toughest game to call in the opening round ended up with nothing between the two sides after a bruising but entertaining 80 minutes in Dublin on Sunday.

Ireland raced into a 13-0 lead but were pegged back by Wales, who had come into the game as slight favourites in light of the lengthy list of Irish absentees.

In the end, both sides' defences cancelled out their attempts to establish daylight in a tense second half. The game ended in a draw, 16-16.

Here are the winners and losers from a real slugfest in the Irish capital.

Winner: Depleted Ireland Prove More Than Capable

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When the list of names missing for Ireland was mentioned in the build-up to this game, it was as if the combination of injury and retirement to key players had made it a fait accompli that Wales would walk out of Dublin with a win.

In the end, Joe Schmidt's patched-up side were left to regret letting a 13-0 lead slip against the pre-tournament favourites.

With no Paul O'Connell, Peter O'Mahony, Sean O'Brien, Cian Healy, Iain Henderson, Mike Ross, Marty Moore or Luke Fitzgerald, the reigning champions looked to be on a hiding to nothing.

Instead, with what the Irish Independent's Tom Rooney described as an "amalgam of heart and exceptional fundamentals," Ireland put Wales on the rack at times and held them at bay when they needed to.

In the context of their current problems, this was a result to be proud of.

Loser: Dan Biggar

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Dan Biggar, such a key man for Wales during the Rugby World Cup, lasted just 22 minutes in Dublin before he succumbed to an ankle injury.

He appeared to suffer the knock after taking the opening kick-off, but the strapping applied could only keep him from the sidelines for so long, and he had to depart.

Wales will want their fly-half back as soon as possible.

Winner: CJ Stander

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CJ Stander made his Ireland debut and was outstanding for the home side.

He carried relentlessly and was only denied a debut try when Wales held him up over the line in a move that led to Conor Murray's try in the next passage of play.

It was a hugely promising start for the South African-born Munster man.

Loser: Ireland's Scrum

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Ireland need their first-choice props back as soon as possible. Wales gave them a rough ride in the scrum, and their power was responsible for Toby Faletau's try at the end of the first half.

Wales, with Rob Evans and Samson Lee propping their scrum, look like a menacing unit.

Ireland may struggle with this front row against the like of WP Nel and Rabah Slimani in the weeks to come.

Winner: Jamie Roberts

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The good doctor made a whopping 21 tackles in Dublin, which must have earned him a few beers on Welsh defence coach Shaun Edwards after the game.

Jamie Roberts looks back to his best after some downtime spent in the lower ranks of the game before joining Harlequins. He also made a point of showing opposite number Robbie Henshaw who was boss with a massive second-half hit on the Connacht man.

Matthew Southcombe of Wales Online wrote: "He embodied everything that was good about Wales in Dublin, and the 29-year-old rekindling his partnership with Jonathan Davies could go a long way to determining how Wales do in this championship."