Clare are the standard bearers, says Mulrooney

One of the great attractions of the U21 championship over the years was that it was so spontaneous, so off-the-cuff, scorefests in which teams simply tore into each other.

Not this year, and in the Bord Gáis Energy All-Ireland U21 hurling championship final in Thurles this evening (7pm), having already disposed of Galway in the semi-final, Kilkenny manager Richie Mulrooney is readying his side for more of the same.

“Yes, we are. We played Clare in a challenge in May and they left us in no doubt as to the standard that would be required to get back to the final. They have a certain style of play and they play it so well. That’s a huge credit to their management and all the players, that they have their own style; it’s a very exciting style and we’ll have to find a way to work around it.”