Whether they want to or not.

The sentiments uttered by the out-half in his post-match interview will also swill around the brain for a while. Speaking from the heart, O'Gara showed the pain that the hype, the pressure can heap on a person in a real sense. It's not all fun and games being a professional rugby player. It can be a burden, too.

But there was another postmatch interview that spoke volumes from a player who, while his contribution won't look quite as good in pictures, contributed every bit as much and arguably more to Munster's victory. While speaking to RTE after the game, Paul O'Connell was emotional.

Emotional about the game, emotional about the day and somewhat surprisingly, emotional about the opposition. "There's guys there on that Leinster team I would have died for a couple of months ago and they would have done the same for us, " said the second-row. "It's a great win for us but I can understand their predicament. It's going to be a tough few weeks for them."

Written down, the words of commiseration don't seem as strong as when they were delivered but they were genuine and they were heartfelt. There was even a small quiver in the big man's voice as he spoke. But the point is this. Barely a minute or two after coming off a field that was swimming in Munster's triumph, O'Connell was thinking about what the Leinster players were going through. And it's a measure of the icon, the leader O'Connell has become to his side that his tone was carried by all the rest of the Munster team in all their media utterances. He led, they followed.

This leadership started on the pitch, not just when the second row had a microphone thrust in front of him. Moments after Trevor Halstead reached the Leinster line before fatigue reached him, O'Connell gathered those Munster players near him in a huddle and began to talk. We can only guess what he said to them but by his hand movements and reaction of his teammates it was clear that he wasn't geeing them up or patting them on the back. Calm down, his message appeared to say, don't milk this victory, have some respect for your opponents.

They all did it.

A couple of minutes later as they applauded the red sea in the stands and on the terraces, the nice people from the ERC came onto the pitch with a 'Cardiff 2006' hoarding for company.

The idea was that Munster would stand in behind it and jump up and down and everybody would have a lovely picture for their newspapers the next morning. Ya, right. Jerry Flannery, another who's turning into a leader to those around him, had a glance up at O'Connell and in that look they'd decided between them it wasn't going to happen. Best keep that sort of thing for the final.

We're well aware that the Munster ethic is about the team, not the individual and that O'Connell has been praised to the high heavens by every media outlet in the world at this stage.

But the thing is if anybody's able to cope with the eulogies and not become too comfortable with himself, it's O'Connell and damn it, the guy deserves it. Since coming back from a shoulder injury back in October, his form has been out of this world. As the joke flying around at the moment goes, Superman now wears Paul O'Connell pajamas when he goes to bed. Sleeping under a Paul O'Connell duvet, too, you'd imagine. With a Paul O'Connell alarm clock on the locker.

In games he always appears to do something which sets the rest of his colleagues off. On Sunday, just after Munster scored their first penalty through O'Gara, Felipe Contepomi took a short re-start and landed the ball about 10 yards from where O'Connell and the rest of the Munster pack were situated. No bother. The Young Munster man galloped towards the ball, caught it, charged his way through two tackles before setting up the ruck. O'Gara proceeded to kick Munster down field and after the second row stole a Leinster line-out and then arched acrobatically backwards to gather a slightly off cue Flannery throw five yards out. Denis Leamy scored Munster's try off a maul about seven seconds later.

The Rugby Club on Sky Sports summed up all that and another three or four examples of O'Connell's brilliance from the game and passed no apology for it. There were clips of the second row playing the role of a number six with a tackle on Shane Horgan, then he seemingly had the number seven on his back as he grabbed onto a flying Contepomi and turned him upside down to look for spare change. To the naked eye his performance stood out; under the microscope it was even better. And it's a tribute to skipper Anthony Foley that he allows O'Connell's influence to be a positive for the team.

All of which brings us round to something of a vexed question, but one that was being asked by supporters of both creeds after the game. Who should captain Ireland, Brian O'Driscoll or Paul O'Connell? If you're looking at Sunday's game to make the decision, there can only be one real answer. Even if you're looking at Ireland's past five matches, you'll come up with the same answer.

Don't get us wrong, O'Driscoll has done a terrific job as Irish skipper and has a record that's literally second to none. He's not renowned for being the best talker on or off the pitch but the very fact that he's one of the best two backs in world rugby gives him the pedigree to wear the armband. In another era we wouldn't even be questioning his worth as skipper but with O'Connell around, the question needs to be at least asked.

There's little doubt that the Leinster centre has leadership qualities, it's just that O'Connell's credentials in that department appear to be stronger.

When it comes down to it, it probably doesn't matter who wears the armband anyway. It's been clear over the past couple of months, off the pitch as well as on it, O'Connell is calling as many shots as Brian O'Driscoll on the important topics and that Eddie O'Sullivan takes advice from both of them, not just the one who wears the armband. Still though. The entire country would probably be that bit more at ease with themselves if O'Connell was the one at the front of the line come anthem time.

THREE LEADERS FROM THE SECOND ROW WILLIE JOHN McBRIDE The colossus from Ballymena captained both Ireland and the Lions and he almost defined the leader in the second row. Built like a tank and with little regard for his own well-being in games, McBride pumped up his charges by his sheer physicality on the rugby pitch. A genuine legend.

MARTIN JOHNSON Captained both England and the Lions and, most famously, led Clive Woodward's side to the World Cup back in 2003. He was far from an angel on the pitch but as a leader, his skills were unparalleled in English rugby history and his retirement has left a leadership gap that has yet to be filled.

JOHN EALES They called him 'Nobody' because, as you know yourself, nobody's perfect. An elusive line-out jumper, he may not have been the most aggressive but when he did things, others followed. Led Australia to the 1999 World Cup and like Johnson, has never been adequately replaced as national captain.