The scoreline suggests a rip-roaring contest but that is a false reading.

Springtime may not have landed in Nowlan Park quite yet, given the chill in the Kilkenny venue yesterday, but the virtues and habits of the men in the striped jerseys remain evergreen.

Brian Cody is holding court in fitting surrounds, writes Brendan O’Brien.

Brendan Maher may have handed over the Tipperary captaincy to Pádraic Maher last year but if the 2016 All-Ireland winning skipper gives the pre-match speech on Sunday it won’t come as any surprise.

Limerick’s John Kiely and Cork’s Ronan McCarthy are among those inter-county managers who may not be able to field players from their senior county championship-winning clubs in this year’s Allianz Leagues.

Waterford should win but might not. Their main difficulty is their convex tradition against Kilkenny in championship encounters, writes PM O’Sullivan.

Kilkenny 0-20 Limerick 0-17

Kerry, who travel to Dr Hyde Park to face Roscommon in Division 1 of the Allianz FL tomorrow (2pm), have two changes in personnel, as well as a number of positional switches, following their loss to Monaghan.

IT Carlow 2-20 UCC 1-20: IT Carlow manager DJ Carey has no clue what shape his bruised and battered team will be in for today’s Fitzgibbon Cup final, but says whatever happens they’re in bonus territory now.

IT Carlow 2-20 UCC 1-20 (AET): Stephen Maher hit 11 points as IT Carlow reached their first Fitzgibbon Cup final at the expense of UCC in Dangan.

Kilkenny hurling manager Brian Cody says he “doesn’t have the answers” to the ongoing fixture problems which have led to the formation of the Club Players Association (CPA), but says he has never asked the Kilkenny County Board to change a fixture in his time as Cats boss.

Glenstal Abbey 18 Rockwell College 0: A powerful display by Glenstal up front and out wide sent Rockwell packing yesterday and put the Co Limerick school into the penultimate stage.

Here’s the lowdown on today’s seven games...

The 11-time All-Ireland winning manager returns for a 19th campaign at the helm in Kilkenny. A few question remain...

Five years of failure clearly didn’t sit well with Tipperary but the task facing Michael Ryan and his squad as they digest the consequences of Sunday’s epic and epochal All-Ireland final defeat of Kilkenny is how to deal with such a victory.

Tipperary 2-29 Kilkenny 2-20: Just how “bloody arrogant” can you get? On the Irish Examiner podcast this past week, former Offaly hurler Daithí Regan mentioned how Tipperary aren’t lacking in the confidence department. After being under Kilkenny’s thumb these last five seasons, they had been given every reason to keep their optimism in check but then they produce a meteoric performance like this and combust any sense of inferiority. Indian sign? What Indian sign?

Regime change? Tipperary’s emphatic victory over Kilkenny in yesterday’s All-Ireland senior hurling final certainly felt like an administration of long-standing yielding to new rulers.

Bubbles wasn’t the only one waylaid by adrenalin yesterday. Michael Ryan doesn’t give off the impression of a man who deals in f-bombs although there was no microphone under the Tipperary manager’s nose when the final whistle shrilled and he danced a jig with his three selectors.

No need to wait until tonight, our hurling analyst predicts the All-Ireland hurling final line-ups.

Esther N McCarthy goes on a world tour at home and finds a bracelet that’s a real charm.

Experienced Clare star Enda Coughlan has emerged as a late injury concern ahead of Sunday’s Munster SFC semi-final against Kerry at Fitzgerald Stadium — as manager Colm Collins vows the Banner will be competitive in Killarney.

Open fires can cause breathing difficulties for people with asthma and respiratory problems, according to the Irish Asthma Society. The comments come after it emerged the most recent building regulations actively discourage homeowners from installing open fireplaces.

The parents of a baby who died six days after his birth said they are still waiting for answers from the HSE.

Kilkenny attacker Colin Fennelly has hit back at Ger Loughnane’s controversial comments about the Cats, labeling them ‘absolutely crazy’ and insisting ‘what he said means nothing’.

A man has been excused from serving on the jury in the ongoing trial of four former executives from Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Life and Permanent (ILP).

Kilkenny 6-20 Offaly 0-14: Ger Loughnane probably hasn’t changed his mind just yet, but Kilkenny’s players at least left the Clare legend with a little something to think about at Nowlan Park.

TJ Reid says the Kilkenny attack will need as many as three new faces to take the mantle left by this season’s absentees.

Kilkenny 2-17 Tipperary 0-18: LIKE a child proud of the time and effort put into making a sandcastle, Tipperary stood tall after 67 minutes only for Kilkenny to kick it down.

Brian Cody has made four changes to the Kilkenny side for today’s Allianz Hurling League Division 1A clash with Tipperary in Nowlan Park (throw-in 2pm).

Kilkenny’s former All-Ireland winning captain Eddie O’Connor has openly questioned Tipperary’s “bottle” ahead of Sunday’s Allianz Hurling League Division 1A crunch between the counties at Nowlan Park.

Police in the North have carried out a controlled explosion on a suspicious object which caused a massive security alert in Omagh.

The first lesson is an easy one, says Paul Murphy. Being on the Kilkenny hurling panel means learning to bide your time.