Coveted Munster Hurling Final place is within Tipperary's grasp this weekend

The Munster Senior Hurling Championship will stage its own version of Super Sunday this weekend, when the final two berths in the race for qualification from the province for the All-Ireland Championship will be decided.

With Clare already assured of a place in the provincial decider and progression to the All-Ireland Championship, one of three teams, Tipperary, Cork or Limerick, will play their final match of the season on Sunday.

A win for Tipperary over Waterford at FBD Semple Stadium guarantees them a place in the Munster final against Clare on June 11, while Cork will also qualify for the All-Ireland series if they draw with or beat Limerick in their winner-takes-all clash at the TUS Gaelic Grounds.

Both matches will start at 4pm, with the Tipp/Waterford game to be shown live on GAAGO, while the Limerick/Cork clash will be televised live on RTÉ.

With four points (accrued courtesy of a win and two draws) from their three games, Tipperary are tantalisingly close to progressing to the business end of the season, as well as earning the chance to win their first Munster title in seven years.

Their destiny will hinge on their meeting with Waterford, the county where Liam Cahill cut his managerial teeth at senior level. After three defeats, Waterford are pointless at the foot of the table, although selector Declan Laffan was at pains to point out last weekend that Tipperary will be taking nothing for granted on Sunday.

Last Sunday’s thrilling draw with Limerick at a heaving FBD Semple Stadium was the second successive match, after their previous game against Cork, in which Tipperary had to settle for a share of the spoils after a game that they arguably should have won.

In a highly-charged atmosphere on a balmy day in mid Tipperary, they led for most of the way against the All-Ireland champions in a game in which the sides were level nine times, including seven occasions in the second half.

And yet, Limerick looked to have snatched victory when Tom Morrissey put them ahead by 0-25 to 0-24 four minutes into the six of additional time, a score that was greeted with such a cheer from their supporters that it threatened to lift the roofs off the stands.

However, Tipp supporters, who had rallied to Liam Cahill’s call to arms to turn out in greater numbers, were also in full cry when substitute John McGrath, who was only on the pitch for a minute or so as a replacement for his brother Noel, held his nerve to shoot the equalising point from a free that he himself had earned, with everyone in the attendance of 37,459 left breathless at the finish.

A dramatic finale saw Limerick’s Barry Nash dismissed on a second yellow card; Liam Cahill also received his marching orders on a straight red card from Dublin referee Sean Stack after he had made his feelings known over a late sideline call; and with emotions still running high after the final whistle, several players squared up to one another, although fortunately that was as far as it went.

Tipp have now failed to beat Limerick in six of their last seven championship games (a sequence that includes five defeats) but they are still well placed to qualify from Munster, as Seamus Kennedy stated after the game.

“We got ahead coming down the stretch so maybe we’re disappointed we didn’t see it out but look, we’re still alive and kicking and looking forward to next weekend,” the St Mary’s Clonmel player stated.

“If we win next weekend we’re in a Munster final so there’s still loads to play for.

“There was an unbelievable Tipp crowd here today, they really got behind us and they dug us out a small bit too, and we really hope that they come and back us again next Sunday.

“It was a tough game to play in but against the three in a row All-Ireland champions you’re not going to get it any other way.

“Conditions got a bit slippery there towards the end (as a result of heavy drizzle), that probably made it hard for everyone.

“It was a cracking game, a great game to be part of”.