John Horgan on hurling: Tipp now head to Cork full of belief they can beat the Rebels

Of the four counties that participated in last Sunday's Munster hurling openers, Tipperary were most satisfied with their result and performance.

Yes, Clare's resurrection in Ennis from a half-time deficit of 12 points was a marvellous achievement, while conversely, Cork's second-half showing and failure to extract the maximum return from the game had to be disappointing.

In the aftermath of that gripping contest, Cork boss Pat Ryan said that he would have been satisfied that morning to come away with the point secured from the draw.

And maybe he would have been but when you hold a 12-point advantage as Cork had it had to be a disappointment that his team were unable to push on and close out the game.

The loss of Shane Barrett to a straight red card at a crucial juncture in the proceedings had to be factored in and in the inter-county arena, the loss of a player in those circumstances is a serious hit and a plus for the opposition.

But, of course, the great beauty of sport is its great uncertainty, not knowing what to expect from within a game and from one week to the next. And that applies very much in Munster championship hurling, the tag of favouritism being quickly removed.

Waterford were on the outside looking on last Sunday and one wonders what they made of it all in Thurles and Ennis.

They welcome Clare to Walsh Park on Sunday and they will believe that they can get themselves into the mix to be one of the three counties from the province who will have their hurling year extended.

Limerick have the weekend off and that gives John Kiely more time to reset after their draw with Tipp in a contest that they were confidently expected to win.

CONFIDENCE RESTORED

Here on Leeside the only concern is on Tipp's second visit in a very short space of time and they will arrive surely with plenty of confidence after their showing against one of the two main fancies for the All-Ireland from Shannonside.

Things had been very much on an upward trajectory in the Premier County after their positive displays at the group stage of the national league but that positivity was quickly shattered after the opening half of the final against Sunday's opponents. But full credit to Liam Cahill for getting that game out of their system and securing a well-deserved draw against Limerick.

Cork will be the pundits' choice to emerge on Sunday but how well Tipp performed in Thurles will have Pat Ryan's men forewarned and forearmed.

Tipperary were superb at different stages against Limerick, their attitude from the outset seemed to be spot on and they kept at it for the 70 minutes.

John McGrath's brace of goals were sublimely executed and they rattled Limerick in a manner that few saw coming after their capitulation in the league final. In fact, this had to go down as one of Tipp's finest displays in a couple of years and it that form is carried into SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday, Cork will have to be really on their guard.

Darragh McCarthy was replaced in the league final, on Sunday he excelled and that was after playing with the county's U20s in midweek.

Eoghan Connolly, Jake Morris, Ronan Maher and Michael Breen were hugely conspicuous too and Limerick certainly knew that they had been involved in a fierce struggle at the end.

Cork will have done serious analysis on how they faded out in the second half and it will have been stressed by the management that far greater consistency is required over the 70-plus minutes.

When you hold such a substantial advantage as Cork had at the interval, psychologically there might be a tendency to believe the job was done.

But unless you have double that advantage no lead is now secure in intercounty hurling and a few quick goals as Clare secured can change the complexion of a game all too quickly.

There was some surprise that Cork withdrew Alan Connolly and Patrick Horgan from the fray because alongside Brian Hayes they were Cork's three quality forwards.

There was surprise too that the huge threat that Peter Duggan was posing for Clare in the inside line wasn't addressed when the Banner were firing on all cylinders.

Bagging an away point is never a bad day's work in this frenetic Munster championship and it was hugely important that Cork were able to manufacture that last-gasp free which yielded the equalising point.

If Cork had lost the game it could have been very damaging.

Despite not getting the win there was so much to admire about a lot of Cork's play, particularly when they were rampant in the opening half and their full-forward line was taking full advantage of the directness and some lengthy deliveries from Patrick Collins.

That was an illustration that a long ball out of defence as against working it through the lines can still be very beneficial.

In many ways the result from Ennis might work in Cork's favour, it might kill the ridiculous hype that was going around about how the season was going to pan out.

Things will be a bit more calmer now, a greater awareness of how fiercely competitive Munster championship hurling is and how nothing must ever be taken for granted. And writing off teams who had a poor league campaign is always extremely concerning.

There will be renewed confidence in Tipperary after last Sunday but Liam Cahill will be fully aware that only a start has been made on the county's road to redemption becoming a leading All-Ireland contender again. Their performance in the league final and how they performed last Sunday was chalk and cheese and they deserve credit for that.

But Cork have been stung by letting a big lead slip away in Ennis and on home turf now it's a near certainty that they will respond in the fashion that the management will have been demanding all week.

CONCERNING

It is, of course, a very quick turnaround, just a short week to sort yourself out and get back on the horse. Rob Downey's withdrawal last Sunday through injury has to be concerning and Shane Barrett's absence must be addressed too.

But the panel is deep enough to counteract anything that Tipp will throw at Cork and be certain sure, there won't be 10 points dividing the teams as there was in the league final.

Down in Walsh Park, Clare will be bouncing after their comeback in Cusack Park but Brian Lohan will be all too aware of the dangers entering that venue.

Cork found that out last season and Waterford have collected a bit of silverware already this time and whilst that might not have been an earth-shattering achievement it will have boosted the confidence that bit more.

It won't be easy to repeat the happenings of last weekend at both venues but Munster championship hurling nine times out of ten delivers in the manner we have come to expect.

Verdict: Cork and Clare to bag the brace of very important points on offer.