Cats through to hurling final

Kilkenny 3-12 Waterford 0-18

Kilkenny's three-in-a-row bid is back on track, their three points win over plucky Waterford sending them through to another All-Ireland Hurling Championship final.

Three first half goals, two of them from Henry Shefflin, and a heroic defensive display in the second half helped Brian Cody's side survive a furious onslaught from a Waterford side seeking its first appearance in the decider since 1963.

Having lost their Leinster title to Wexford, the Cats have come back through the Qualifiers system, rediscovering their hunger and desire on the way, and now they have re-established themselves as title favourites.

A wonderful attacking display from Waterford's Paul Flynn, who scored 13 points, was just not enough to inspire his side to a historic win, but Kilkenny boss Cody was a relieved man at the final whistle.

Shefflin struck for his first goal after just five minutes, cutting in from the left to give Ian O'Regan no chance with a fiercely struck cross shot.

A nervous Waterford defence always looked vulnerable in the face of the constant attacking threat posed by Shefflin, DJ Carey and Martin Comerford, but at the other end, Paul Flynn's accuracy was keeping the Decies in the game.

He steered over no less than 10 first half points, eight of them from frees, and the quality of the score-taking was enhanced further by splendid efforts from close to the sideline by Kilkenny's Carey and Waterford's Eoin Kelly.

The Munster champions' defensive deficiencies emerged again in the 23rd minute when Eddie Brennan was given a second chance to net his side's second goal.

His initial shot was brilliantly saved by O'Regan, but the ball was allowed to drop back into his path, and he made no mistake with a firmly struck first-time ground shot.

Now it was 2-6 to 0-6 in favour of the All-Ireland champions, and but for Flynn's accuracy, they would have been out of sight.

Even after Shefflin ghosted in behind a static defence to flick John Hoyne's cross to the net two minutes before the break, Flynn hit back with three more scores, and just four points separated the sides at the break, the Cats ahead by 3-6 to 0-11.

Shefflin and Comerford stretched the advantage to six, but substitute Jack Kennedy added an extra spark to a previously one-dimensional Waterford attack, and his two points, allied to a Michael Walsh effort an yet another from Flynn, narrowed the gap to three.

But with Tommy Walsh, Peter Barry and JJ Delaney performing heroics at the back, Waterford were repeatedly frustrated, and goalkeeper James McGarry didn't have a save to make, such was the protection afforded to him by a rock solid defence.

Flynn cut it back to two points as the game reached a thrilling climax, and nothing short of a goal would be enough for Justin McCarthy's side.

But there was no way through, and the vast experience of the All-Ireland champions saw them safely through to the decider.