Waterford 0-11 Limerick 1-08:There was little to get excited about for either manager at Semple Stadium, as Waterford and Limerick played out a draw, though Justin McCarthy will be satisfied with a valiant second half effort from his side against his former charges. Davy Fitzgerald was just glad to have another shot at a Munster semi-final after watching his side squander a six-point lead and manage only two points in the second half.
The Waterford boss described his side's meagre total of two points in the second half as "unacceptable" and admitted they got out of jail.
“When the momentum goes against you like that, it’s a fierce tough thing to stop, but to be honest I’d say we were the happier of the two teams to come out of there with a draw, because we were lucky,” he told RTE television afterwards.
Eoin Kelly hit four frees in the first half and John Mullane was accurate from play as the Deise, with Dan Shanahan on the bench, moved into a 0-09 to 0-03 lead at the break.
It had been a dire half, in truth, and little was expected to change, but Limerick raised their game and eventually ensured both teams will have a chance to make amends next week.
David Breen’s goal two minutes into the second half proved invaluable and owed much to the surging run of James Ryan, whose perfectly timed handpass allowed the former time to pick his spot.
Waterford’s first point of the half came from Kelly 11 minutes in, but Ryan cancelled it out before Niall Moran’s fourth closed the gap to one and Enda O’Shaughnessy levelled the scores.
Kelly settled Waterford nerves with a free but Ryan, who was lively and effective throughout, pointed another in injury time for a share of the spoils.
“I expected a close game to be honest,” said McCarthy afterwards. “There wasn’t much room for fancy hurling, the scores were low and it wasn’t the exhibition we’d all love to have, but it was tough championship stuff and in the end we got a draw.”
In the Ulster semi-final, Down beat Derry by 2-17 to 1-15 at Casement Park.