When Kilkenny are in defiant mood, there’s bound to be fireworks

This league has been so up and down, so hit and miss so far, that the intensity and energy was like going from afternoon tea in Dromoland Castle to a dance party in Ibiza, writes Anthony Daly.

When I am doing TV co-commentary for big games, you mostly can’t hear anything because the headphones act like ear-muffs, but on Saturday night in Thurles, the crescendo of noise was clearly audible as Tipperary and Kilkenny fans went into championship mode.

The match was a classic for a league game. Everybody was enthralled by the action; the slick moves, the electricity on the pitch, in the stands, the feelgood factor from a March evening that could have been August, such was the high quality of hurling. This league has been so up and down, so hit and miss so far, that the intensity and energy was like going from afternoon tea in Dromoland Castle to a dance party in Ibiza. (I can’t remember the latter).