So much for the theory Kilkenny are in transition

Kilkenny 2-23 Tipperary 2-17: A result like this would read as par for the course were it not for some supposedly extenuating circumstances.

This had been labelled a fallow season for Kilkenny, a time when they have been given dispensation to revive their crop.

As it turns out, their yields could be considerably more bountiful earlier than expected.