Cork v Tipperary: Hurlers extended one sequence and look to increase another

The Cork senior hurling team extended one sequence last Saturday night and will look to lengthen another this Saturday.

In beating Galway by 2-20 to 1-21 at Pearse Stadium in Salthill to make it two wins from two in the Allianz Hurling League, the Rebels recorded their ninth straight win over non-Munster opposition, across league and championship.

The last defeat to a Leinster side came in the home loss to Kilkenny exactly two years ago. Since then, Cork beat Offaly and Wexford in the 2024 league, Offaly and Dublin in that year’s championship, Wexford, Kilkenny and Galway in last year’s league, Dublin in the All-Ireland semi-final and now Galway again.

The opportunity to extend that run to ten games will come on Sunday, March 1, when Cork travel to UPMC Nowlan Park to face Kilkenny – but, of course, prior to that, the sole league game in February will provide the chance to extend a run that has reached eight matches.

At SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork have not lost since the defeat to Clare in the second round of the Munster SHC in 2024. The epic win over Limerick in the next round of that championship was the start of a streak that still pertains – though it took an injury-time equaliser from Darragh Fitzgibbon in the next home match, the league clash with the Shannonsiders just over a year ago, to prevent the counter going back to zero.

After that, Kilkenny and Galway were beaten as Cork topped the table to set up a final meeting with Tipperary – and, as the counties have a home-and-away arrangement for league knockout games, that too was in the Páirc.

Wins there and three weeks later in the Munster championship against the same opposition made it six home games in a row without defeat, extending to seven after the victory over Waterford secured a place in the Munster final.

A fortnight ago, the league opener made it eight on the trot without loss in the Páirc, though of course making it nine will mean getting the better of the county responsible for two of Cork’s three losses in 2025, the league game in Thurles and a match in Dublin in July that you’ll likely have heard of.

After the Tipp clash – which has a throw-in time of 7.30pm and is live on TG4 – Cork’s other home game in the league is in the final round, against Offaly on March 21.