Provincial hurling permutations: final-day drama in store in Leinster and Munster championships

It was another gripping weekend in the Leinster and Munster hurling championships.

Dublin went close to a rare win over the Cats, an umpire had the gall to make the correct call for a decisive 65 in Ennis and there were 20 goals scored across five matches.

The round-robin stages will conclude at the weekend but what is on the line for the 11 counties?

Leinster

Kilkenny's narrow victory in Parnell Park guarantees they will maintain their record of progressing from every edition of the group phase (still only in its fifth instalment) – a feat only shared by Limerick.

But they will only be sure of a place in a seventh consecutive Leinster final and the chance to win five in a row if they avoid defeat at home to Wexford on Sunday.

Easier said than done, the Model Men having beaten them on the last day in 2022 and 2023, albeit Kilkenny were already all but assured of a place in the final last year.

Wexford needed those points to avoid relegation 12 months ago but things are looking much healthier this time around. If Keith Rossiter’s men win then they are into a first provincial decider since their successful summer of 2019.

A draw would be enough to secure third as Wexford have the advantage over Galway (head to head) and Dublin (score difference in the games between the teams concerned) if those two also can’t be separated and the three teams end up on six points behind Kilkenny.

The Tribesmen and the Dubs can only both qualify if they draw in Pearse Stadium (live on RTÉ2/Player) and Kilkenny win. In that scenario Micheál Donoghue’s current team would be in the final, his former one third and Wexford out on their ears.

Victory for either puts them into the final. If Galway are beaten they will be out, regardless of what happens at