ANALYSIS:Ireland showed what can be achieved with the correct leadership, on and off the pitch, writes LIAM TOLAND

ALL WEEK we’ve basked in the glory of last Saturday’s Grand Slam. All week conversations have been dominated by sport and success. It’s been a while since we’ve experienced national leadership built on a clear vision. Success is failure turned inside out. And but for the revolution of a rugby ball it may have been otherwise.

That there was success is obvious. That there was leadership both on and off the pitch was even more obvious. That it was allowed to breathe was key. The embrace of Paul O’Connell and Declan Kidney in the Millennium Stadium was telling. Kidney’s vice-like grip on his talismanic war-horse exposed the true meaning of leadership. One might ask, who was leading who? And in truth it’s impossible to tell because neither could survive without the other.

Many words have been spoken of Kidney’s contribution, his secret to success. For all the obvious additions to the Irish camp, Kidney has brought something lacking throughout Irish society, vision. A leader must have a vision for the future and must be able to galvanise his troops to attain it.

Kidney’s vision is not built on statistics, facts and figures but on real human emotion where, unbeknownst to themselves, the players are compelled to follow. And as his end-of-match embrace with O’Connell displayed, he is equally prepared to follow; as the old phrase suggests ‘lead me, follow me or get out of my way’.

Because there is a now clear dynamic between Brian O’Driscoll, O’Connell and Kidney. But in truth it is an ever-oscillating relationship between leading and following. And in all this the Irish supporter has been compelled to follow to great lengths.

This week I heard the story of the tennis ball. A specific Irish party departed, or so the story goes, Cardiff-bound without a ticket between them. As kick-off approached all but one had secured a ticket. Desperate and very nervous, one of them headed off to the nearest sports shop where they secured a tennis ball and a pair of scissors.

At the turnstile a sympathetic ear was given to the ticket holder who begged the attendant to maintain the ticket’s integrity as “this ticket has been signed by Keith Wood, former Irish captain and legend and if Ireland win I’ll bring the ticket home to my father . . . please don’t keep the stub”. On entry to the Millennium Stadium out came the tennis ball and the ticket was stuffed into the empty space inside.

Now with Keith Wood skill and precision the ball was fired out over the wall into the safe hands of the lone, ticketless Irish man outside the walls. So before kick-off all the travelling party had made it into the ground!

What a weekend we’ve had and at last the nation was galvanised for the first time in months, not once but twice. The age-old arguments between Munster and Leinster subsided and the desperate concerns of a country on its knees were forgotten. All week Brian ODriscoll’s Grand Slam-winning team have brought a smile and levity to all I’ve met.

In a matter of some short hours the Grand Slam and Bernard Dunne’s 11th-round victory displayed to the world that the Irish can set goals through a carefully managed vision, work harder than everyone else and achieve them despite the obvious deficiencies. (Small player base)

So to the Lions tour where so many potential players will be whittled down to 35 or so by mid- April. Kidney’s incredible success in steering the Grand Slam ‘home’ will create serious argument for a strong Irish party. We of course will be very biased.

Between the Magners League, the Heineken Cup, the autumn internationals and finally the Six Nations we’ve come to know our star players intimately. We should expect a large Irish contingent. The Lions will hit for South Africa this summer with an Irish captain and possibly 11 Irish team-mates.

That’ll be a huge chunk of the 35 or so players to travel. There are certainties. There are also dark horses who will surprise a few by not only making the squad but by also making the Test side. Ryan Jones arrived as a late replacement for Scotland’s Simon Taylor last time around and gained three Test appearances.

With a 12-month rest under his belt Gordon DArcy is best placed to be humming come the first Test. He’s not on anyone’s list but he’ll be perfectly placed to attack. Ironically the best thing to happen a professional rugby player is to have a compulsory lay-off due to injury. Assuming the injury is not too serious it will afford the player time out mentally, to reassess goals, ambitions etc and to focus on key fitness aspects without the threat of performance on a weekly basis. And with a successful run in for Leinster he’ll gain the perfect amount of rugby as others begin to flag. Remember if he’s on the plane he’ll get three opportunities to stake a claim for the 12 shirt.

His experience of four years ago will have taught him how to maximise every opportunity.

And as Riki Flutey is a strong possibility to start, D’Arcy will have to maximise the build-up to Harlequins in the Heineken Cup and hope that a strong victory will springboard him forward.

Alun Wyn Jones is another who will put pressure on the Irish duo of Paul O’Connell and Donncha OCallaghan. His performances over the weeks will have raised his stock but last Saturday he was in the top five ball-carriers and headed the tackle count. Considering the battering his lineout took he managed to exert an enormous positive influence on the Welsh performance.

Dwayne Peel is yet another who may come in from the cold. Warren Gatland’s policy of loyalty towards home-based players has hampered Peel’s international exposure. But he’s on the mend and due to bench for Sale this Saturday. Ian McGeechan coaches in England and knows the Premiership players intimately.

So the obvious man to us may be a little distant to him. Where we recognise that Tomás O’Leary and Peter Stringer have never been better, the Scot may have a different view. There’s four weeks left for players to influence McGeechan and his selection.

So the 11 or so Irish players in the toss-up can’t afford to rest on their laurels of last week.