SO, after a dramatic day of Munster hurling championship action, the permutations for Cork are clear.
Despite a gut-wrenching 2-22 to 3-18 loss to Clare on Sunday, the Rebels are still in control of their own destiny.
Pat Ryan’s side now knows a win or a draw away to Limerick next Sunday, May 28th (4pm in the Gaelic Grounds) will secure their place in the All-Ireland SHC. But a loss will knock Cork out. Meanwhile, Tipperary face Waterford in Semple Stadium, Thurles in the other game, on at the exact same time.
The current state of affairs is as follows: Clare top the table on six points and are through to the final. Tipperary have four points with a points differential of five, Cork have three points with a points differential of eight. Limerick have three points with a points differential of one. If the three sides are level on points, the points differential comes into play, a statistic Cork lead on at the moment.
Pat Ryan’s side can reach the Munster final but need to beat Limerick and hope Tipperary don't win against Waterford. Cork can also draw with Limerick but Tipp need to lose to Waterford.
They will be playing a Limerick team chasing their fourth All-Ireland in a row but have to win against the Rebels to keep themselves in contention.
A draw might be enough for John Kiely’s team but they would require Tipp to lose by five against a Waterford team already out.
Bottom line, if Cork win, they survive.
