We’re just under 20 minute away from throw-in at the Gaelic Grounds as Limerick and Tipperary clash in what is an eagerly-awaited encounter. Here’s all you need to know about tonight’s match.

Here’s the Tipperary team for tonight’s game with just the one change from the quarter-final win over Cork as Cian Hogan replaces the injured David Collins at full-forward.

TIPPERARY U21H: Paul Ryan (Upperchurch-Drombane); Stephen Maher (Thurles Sarsfields), Andrew Ryan (Toomevara), Pa Ryan (Clonakenny); Willie Ryan (Clonakenny), Brian Stapleton (Templederry Kenyons), Justin Cahill (Kilruane MacDonaghs); Denis Maher (Thurles Sarsfields), Dan McCormack (Borris-Ileigh); John O’Dwyer (Killenaule), Sean Curran (Mullinahone), Niall O’Meara (Kilruane MacDonaghs); Eanna Murray (Templederry Kenyons), Cian Hogan (Lorrha & Dorrha), Liam McGrath (Loughmore Castleiney).

And here’s the Limerick side for the match.

LIMERICK U21H: Aaron Murphy (Hospital-Herbertstown); Alan Dempsey (Na Piarsaigh), Dan Morrissey (Ahane), Stephen O’Reilly (Ballybrown); Robert Egan (Kilmallock), Declan Hannon (Adare), Tom Ryan (South Liberties); Shane Kenny (Ballybrown), Seanie O’Brien (Patrickswell); Shane Dowling (Na Piarsaigh), Niall Kennedy (Granagh-Ballingarry), Mark Carmody (Patrickswell); Mikey Ryan (Murroe-Boher), Kevin Downes (Na Piarsaigh), Wille Griffin (Adare).

The Munster U21 hurling championship has thrown up it’s fair share of classics in recent years and this game carries huge potential. Tipperary timed their run impressively to peg Cork at the death in their quarter-final win last month and have a few superb talents in Brian Stapleton, John O’Dwyer and senior panellist Sean Curran.

Yet Limerick, who are making their U21 bow for 2012, field a team packed with stars as Declan Hannon, Shane Dowling and Kevin Downes have all burst to prominence on the senior stage over the past couple of seasons. They’ll have strong ambitions of reaching a second successive Munster U21 decider. And if John Fitzgerald’s side were to achieve that, it would ensure that Tipperary, managed by Ken Hogan, would be denied the chance of a provincial hurling treble this year after claiming the minor and senior crowns last Sunday in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

No late changes on either side in the Gaelic Grounds. There’s a large expectant crowd present for this one even if showers during the day may affect the playing surface.

Michael Wadding of Waterford is the referee tonight and he’ll be throwing the ball in to commence the action shortly. It’s the first time since 2008 that these counties have clashed in the Munster U21 hurling championship with Tipperary emerging victorious on that occasion.

Tipperary 0-1 Limerick 0-0: First blood to Tipperary with John O’Dwyer rifling over a long-range free and Dan McCormack is close to another point soon after but his effort tails wide. An early positional change see Tipperary’s Niall O’Meara, brother of senior attacker Brian, switch to midfield and it’s also noticeable that Brian Stapleton will start at centre-back. He did extremely well there in the second-half of the Cork game.

Tipperary 0-3 Limerick 0-0: Another long-range free is taken by O’Dwyer and the result is the same as he splits the posts. Then midfielder Denis Maher engineers the space to swing over a fine point from distance. There’s a strong wind assisting Tipperary in the first-half and they’re utilising it so far to establish an early lead. Six minutes gone.

Limerick are not making much headway up front with their leading lights starved of possession so far. At the other end they’ve needed corner-back Alan Dempsey to be alert to mop up some loose possession around their goalmouth.

Tipperary 1-3 Limerick 0-2: Finally Limerick get off the mark when Tipperary’s Dan McCormack is penalised for over-carrying the ball and Shane Dowling smashes over the resultant free. But that good work is immediately undone when Tipperary critically pounce for the first goal of the game. The strike is created by centre-forward Sean Curran when he bursts through the Limerick rearguard and offloads to Denis Maher who is in support. The Thurles Sarsfields man finishes with aplomb to the net. Dowling does grab another free for Limerick but they trail by four points after 11 minutes.

Tipperary 1-3 Limerick 0-4: Limerick get Kevin Downes on the ball for the first time in the game when he is fed a delivery by Declan Hannon and the full-forward creates the space to clip over a point off his left. Then left half-back Tom Ryan wins a free which Dowling converts and suddenly the outlook is a lot brighter for Limerick after 13 minutes. They’ve recovered impressively from the concession of that Maher goal.

Tipperary have been wasteful with some of their scoring chances in this opening quarter. Denis Maher has just chalked up their sixth wide in the 14th minute.

Tipperary 1-4 Limerick 0-4: O’Dwyer stretches Tipperary’s advantage to three points by pointing a free. The first yellow card of the game was shown to Limerick wing-forward Mark Carmody there for a wild pull on Tipperary’s Niall O’Meara which lead to that free being awarded. 16 minutes have elapsed.

Tipperary 1-4 Limerick 0-5: If O’Dwyer has been excellent in his free-taking for Tipperary, then Dowling has matched him for Limerick. He strikes over his fourth placed ball of the game, on this occasion after being fouled himself.

Tipperary 1-4 Limerick 0-6: Dowling fires over another free to trim the gap to one after Mark Carmody is fouled by Tipperary defender Willie Ryan. That score came after a period of scrappy play that featured poor shooting on both sides. But after 23 minutes Limerick will be happier after recovering from that slow start.

Tipperary 1-5 Limerick 0-6: Limerick have their chances to draw level or forge ahead but fail to do so. Firstly they almost manage to strike their first goal of the game after Dowling’s long-range drop short and a whip by corner-forward Mikey Ryan is smartly blocked by Tipperary goalkeeper Paul Ryan. Then Kevin Downes has a chance to tie the game but his shot goes to the left and wide. And at the other John O’Dwyer bangs over a free that puts Tipperary two points to the good. 26 minutes gone.

Tipperary 1-5 Limerick 0-7: That’s a fantastic point by Kevin Downes who has come out to the half-forward line to assist his team and he catches a puckout from Limerick goalkeeper Aaron Murphy, turns to race forward and notches a lovely point. 28 minutes gone.

Limerick have made the first substitution of the game with John Fitzgibbon brought on at corner-forward for Willie Griffin.

Tipperary 1-6 Limerick 0-7: O’Dwyer pushes Tipperary ahead by two points once more as he is on target with a free after Declan Hannon is adjudged to have committed the foul.

HALF-TIME – Tipperary 1-6 Limerick 0-7: And that score by O’Dwyer brings the curtain down on the first-half with Tipperary two points in front at the interval.

It’s not been a free-flowing spectacle in the first-half but the weather conditions have affected that with heavy showers during that opening 30 minutes. Essentially it’s boiled down to a battle between the two respective free-takers, Tipperary’s John O’Dwyer and Limerick’s Shane Dowling. And it was the most significant strike from open play, Denis Maher’s goal for Tipperary, that has proved the difference in enabling Tipperary to lead.

TIPPERARY: J O’Dwyer 0-5 (0-5f), D Maher 1-1.
LIMERICK: S Dowling 0-5 (0-5f), K Downes 0-2.

Elsewhere it’s half-time in the Ulster U21 hurling semi-finals with Antrim ahead 1-7 to 0-6 against Armagh while Derry lead Down 1-10 to 1-4.

Limerick will be happy heading into the second-half of the match in the Gaelic Grounds given that they were five points down at one stage in the first-half. Key men like Shane Dowling, Kevin Downes and Declan Hannon started to impact more as the half wore on. Yet Tipperary are hugely competitive all over the pitch, playing at a high intensity in the middle third and have had strong displays from Brian Stapleton, John O’Dwyer and Denis Maher.

It’s delicately poised entering the second-half and looks likely to remaining a seriously competitive affair. The second-half is about to start and there will be extra-time in this clash if the teams are level at the end of normal time.

It’s notable that Tipperary struck 11 wides in that first-half and both teams will want to cut down on the amount of frees they are conceding given the form of the respective marksmen O’Dwyer and Dowling.

Tipperary 1-6 Limerick 0-8: That’s a bright start from Limerick with Mikey Ryan winning a free after an electric run in along the right wing and Dowling doing the needful with the placed ball.

Tipperary 1-8 Limerick 0-8: O’Dwyer registers his first point from play of the game, a score that arose after he miscued a close-range free but the ball was passed back out to him by Liam McGrath and he raised a white flag with a shot off his left.

The game is becoming a little ragged now with both teams struggling to make headway in attack. The Tipperary defence are doing extremely well in marshalling Dowling and Downes as their impact in the second-half has been limited so far. A change on the Limerick team see Robert O’Donnell in at midfield for Seanie O’Brien.

Tipperary 1-9 Limerick 0-8: And Tipperary are starting to stamp their authority on this game as Denis Maher shoots them four points clear. Limerick then had a half chance of a goal at the other end but a snapshot from Dowling after an incisive run by Downes, rolled wide. 41 minutes gone.

But Tipperary’s chances of pulling clear on the scoreboard are being compromised by their shooting. Sean Curran has just hit their 13th wide of the game. Limerick have their own difficulties up front with John Fitzgibbon off target on this occasion.

Tipperary 1-10 Limerick 0-8: We’re entering the last quarter and it’s Tipperary who are looking the more likely force. Sean Curran has just popped over a point that originated from clever play by Liam McGrath and John O’Dwyer. They’re five points clear and Limerick look like they will need a goal to ignite their challenge.

Tipperary 1-11 Limerick 0-9: Cian Hogan pushes Tipperary further ahead with a point from the right wing but Niall Kennedy replies for Limerick with a point. Tipperary have now hit 16 wides in the game but with 10 minutes left, they have a five-point advantage to protect. Mark O’Connell is on the Limerick team at midfield for Shane Kenny.

There are clear signs that Limerick’s senior players look tired after their exertions at the weekend. Dowling from a free and Hannon from play have just seen point attempts tail wide. With nine minutes remaining, they have a five-point deficit to bridge and it looks a difficult task.

Tipperary 1-12 Limerick 0-10: Dowling smashes a ’65 between the posts but that is cancelled out by Jason Forde grabbing his first point of the game. Seven minutes remaining in normal time.

Tipperary 1-13 Limerick 0-10: Limerick are surely going to need a goal to launch a comeback now. John O’Dwyer has just despatched a free that puts Tipperary six points ahead with just five minutes left.

Tipperary 1-13 Limerick 0-11: Great save by Tipperary netminder Paul Ryan as he flicks the ball away outside the post after it dropped in a crowded goalmouth. Dowling converts the resultant ’65 to trim the gap to five points. 56 minutes gone.

Tipperary 1-14 Limerick 0-11: This has been a really impressive performance by Tipperary, epitomised by Denis Maher. He lands a fine point from play to extend Tipperary’s lead to six points. 58 minutes gone.

Tipperary 1-15 Limerick 0-11: That should be that. O’Dwyer knocks over another free to put seven points between the sides. Aidan McGrath onto the Tipperary team for Dan McCormack.

Tipperary 1-15 Limerick 1-11: Goal for Limerick when Dowling reacts quickest to a loose ball and whips the ball fiercely to the net. An excellent strike but it looks immaterial at this stage as injury-time has almost elapsed.

FULL-TIME – Tipperary 1-16 Limerick 1-11: Tipperary conclude a winning performance on a positive note. They react admirably to the concession of that goal when Sean Curran pulls down the ball from the sky as he collects a puckout and after being hauled back, a free is awarded which John O’Dwyer duly converts. A fully deserved victory for Tipperary as they have enjoyed a rewarding trip to the Gaelic Grounds tonight.

For the second time this season Tipperary have rose to the challenge of travelling away from home. After overturning Cork narrowly by 0-18 to 0-17, they have claimed a five-point success here to ensure they will contest the final on August 8th. They were a well-drilled unit tonight with manager Ken Hogan having assembled a hugely organised outfit. They defended superbly with Pa Ryan, Justin Cahill and Brian Stapleton to the fore in that regard. John O’Dwyer’s freetaking was exemplary up front, Sean Curran did a huge amount of good things in his role in attack while Denis Maher was deservedly crowned man-of-the-match. The Thurles Sarsfields man’s first-half goal was vital in ensuring they created a cushion on the scoreboard early in the game. Tipperary’s shooting improved as the game wore on and despite racking up 16 wides, they did enough to stave off the Limerick challenge.

A disappointing evening for Limerick as a side who held ambitions of recreating their excellent achievement last year, came up short. Their senior players looked sluggish at times which was understandable given the effort they were forced to put in during last Saturday’s All-Ireland qualifier win over Clare in Thurles. They recovered from a woeful start to be very much in contention at half-time but the expected surge in the second-half never materialised. Their goal came too late to properly ignite their challenge and they could never claw back the lead that Tipperary established. Alan Dempsey, Declan Hannon and Kevin Downes kept fighting hard until the finish.  The hurling season is not over on the inter-county front for some of these players as their attention now turns to Sunday week’s All-Ireland SHC quarter-final against Kilkenny.

Here are the scorers on both sides from tonight’s game.

TIPPERARY: J O’Dwyer 0-9 (0-8f), D Maher 1-3, L McGrath, J Forde, S Curran, C Hogan 0-1 each.
LIMERICK: S Dowling 1-8 (0-6f, 0-2 ’65), K Downes 0-2, N Kennedy 0-1.

And here are the teams and substitutes from tonight’s game.

TIPPERARY U21H: Paul Ryan (Upperchurch-Drombane); Stephen Maher (Thurles Sarsfields), Andrew Ryan (Toomevara), Pa Ryan (Clonakenny); Willie Ryan (Clonakenny), Brian Stapleton (Templederry Kenyons), Justin Cahill (Kilruane MacDonaghs); Denis Maher (Thurles Sarsfields), Dan McCormack (Borris-Ileigh); John O’Dwyer (Killenaule), Sean Curran (Mullinahone), Niall O’Meara (Kilruane MacDonaghs); Eanna Murray (Templederry Kenyons), Cian Hogan (Lorrha & Dorrha), Liam McGrath (Loughmore Castleiney). Subs: Jason Forde (Silvermines) for Murray (half-time), Aidan McGrath (Loughmore-Castleiney) for McCormack (58)
LIMERICK U21H: Aaron Murphy (Hospital-Herbertstown); Alan Dempsey (Na Piarsaigh), Dan Morrissey (Ahane), Stephen O’Reilly (Ballybrown); Robert Egan (Kilmallock), Declan Hannon (Adare), Tom Ryan (South Liberties); Shane Kenny (Ballybrown), Seanie O’Brien (Patrickswell); Shane Dowling (Na Piarsaigh), Niall Kennedy (Granagh-Ballingarry), Mark Carmody (Patrickswell); Mikey Ryan (Murroe-Boher), Kevin Downes (Na Piarsaigh), Wille Griffin (Adare). Subs: John Fitzgibbon (Adare) for Griffin (28), Robert O’Donnell (Pallasgreen) for O’Brien (37), Mark O’Connell (Glenroe) for Kenny (48), Adrian Breen (Na Piarsaigh) for Carmody (54)

That’s it from tonight’s game in the Gaelic Grounds as Tipperary’s great run of hurling form continues. After their minor and senior sides claimed Munster titles last Sunday, the U21 team have now qualified for their provincial decider on August 8th. Manager Ken Hogan and his players will be interested spectators tomorrow night as Clare and Waterford face off in the second semi-final in Cusack Park in Ennis. We’ll be following all the action from that game which throws in at 7.30pm. But for now that’s it tonight, thanks for joining us and for all your comments.