Nine Munster hurling permutations and what they mean for Cork

One of the most famous mutually beneficial draws in Irish sporting history came at the 1990 World Cup.

Having drawn against England (1-1) and Egypt (0-0), the Republic of Ireland fell behind against the Netherlands in their last group game but Niall Quinn equalised. In Captain Fantastic – My Football Career and World Cup Experience, Ireland skipper Mick McCarthy outlined what happened next.

“One of our lads went down with a knock and as Mick Byrne came on to give him treatment he told me that England were winning 1-0 against Egypt in Cagliari. If the scores remained the same in both games then England, Holland and Ireland would be through to the last 16 of the competition.

“I saw [Ruud] Gullit and told him the score. He knew what had to be done – but just in case he didn’t I made sure he realized that we had taken control of the game!

STACKED

“We could battle it out for the remaining 15 minutes. If we did go at it, then the odds were stacked against Holland. We didn’t agree on any plan, but as soon as the game re-started Gullit went back into defence and started to knock the ball about there. Then when the ball was kicked up to us, we played around with it and sent it back down to them.

“What we were doing was probably too obvious so the referee called Gullit and myself over to him. He had already had words with me about some of the lads who kept letting their shirts hang over their knicks. This time, however, the referee wanted Gullit and myself to explain ourselves and he told us that we must play football. I said, ‘Listen, this IS the first time we’ve had a chance to play football, the first time we’ve knocked two passes together for four years – and you want us to stop?!’ He understood – and we just got on with the game.

“Finally, the clock ran out and we were through with Holland. Little did we know at the time that Egypt missed a glaring chance close to the end of their clash with England that would have left all four teams in the group with identical records. Then it would have been a real lottery. We would all have had to go into a hat and draw lots!”

Obviously, there is no reason to doubt the integrity of Limerick or Waterford – not to mention the difficult of arranging a draw in hurling, even if you wanted to – Cork could end up on the wrong side of a mutually beneficial draw this Sunday.

A tie between the Shannonsiders and the Déise at TUS Gaelic Grounds in the last round of the Munster SHC is the only result that would eliminate Cork – but, like Egypt almost spoiling things in 1990 – there is a kicker.

If Limerick and Waterford were to draw and Clare beat Tipperary or that game at FBD Semple Stadium ends in a draw, then Cork are out. However, a draw on the Ennis road combined with a victory for the already-eliminated Tipp in Thurles is the only combination that would send Cork to the Munster final.

SCORING DIFFERENCE

In such a scenario, Limerick would be top on five points with Cork, Clare and Waterford all on four. While head-to-head record is used to separate two counties finishing level on points, scoring difference is called upon when three or more are tied and the Rebels would be guaranteed to have a better tally in that regard, thanks in no small part to Sunday’s 18-point win over Tipp.

A victory for either side at the Gaelic Grounds will suffice for Cork to finish third – if Limerick win, then they will be playing Clare in the Munster final. However, an away win for Davy Fitzgerald’s side would put them into the decider and eliminate Limerick as Cork would edge them on the head-to-head record.

Leinster is a bit more clear-cut in that the Kilkenny-Wexford and Dublin-Galway games will act as de facto semi-finals while Antrim-Carlow is a relegation play-off. 

Kilkenny currently lead the way on six points with Wexford, Dublin and Galway all on five - the only way things could be tighter would be if the Cats had lost to Carlow rather than drawing.

Wexford's scoring difference and their win over Galway give them the edge in terms of finishing third if they lose to Kilkenny, but defeat for them coupled with a Dublin-Galway draw would eliminate them.

There is one notable difference between Leinster and Munster - in the eastern province, if three teams are level on points then the games between them are used to determine the placings rather than scoring difference. This means that, whatever happens on Sunday, Kilkenny will be progressing.