Kilkenny 3-10 : Cork 1-12
 

The most established pairing
in the game square up for the first time in nine
eventful years. Neither side has been hugely tested -
Cork not since their tense victory over champions
Tipperary in Munster. Emphatic defeats of Limerick and
history-making Ulster winners Down have paved the way
to the final. Kilkenny, building on the previous year,
retained Leinster with a comfortable win over Wexford.
Cork, with teenage debutant Brian Corcoran earning
major plaudits at corner back, are favourites - a
status that's more of a worry than a reassurance in
this fixture.