A win is a win, but Tipperary know that even more will be required the next day. Against Clare, a team who delight in beating everyone, but especially Tipperary, the profligacy that many forwards experienced yesterday would prove the deathblow for any aspirations they possess towards reclaiming the Munster championship.

Still, as first steps go, this was an impressive enough start to the campaign for Tipperary. Apart from the large number of wides - 18, far too many at this level of hurling - and the poor first 30 minutes when many players were bustled, harried and pressurised out of it by Waterford players, there were a lot of good things for manager Nicky English and his team to take out of this match and, in particular, the second half.

Indeed, the way Tipperary played for the second half should be the benchmark they set for 70 minutes of future matches. They came out after the break and fought for everything - probably the result of some choice words from Mr English. They did exactly what Waterford had done to them in the opening period.

It's amazing how playing into the wind can focus a player's mind. There is less margin for error, and concentration and commitment levels have to be upped considerably. This is what Tipperary managed to achieve in the second half. They harried and hassled, blocked, hooked and chased, and they continued to gain possession and win loose ball as a consequence.

As in all team sports, Tipperary also had an on-field leader to keep them going. Yesterday it was John Leahy, and the other players responded to his display. Leahy showed by example yesterday but the thing is that teams need more than one leader, they need two or three - and, in that regard, there were some other fine performances. Philip Maher, after an awkward start, did extremely well and so did the halfback line of Eamonn Corcoran, David Kennedy and John Carroll.

Of course, Waterford's cause wasn't helped by the injury sustained by Ken McGrath. It was obvious straightaway that he was in trouble with the ankle and, without him, there really wasn't any inspiration. Paul Flynn tried to take on the mantle but he had one of those days when the ball didn't bounce right for him and things didn't go his way, while the two goal chances that Dan Shanahan had - but failed to take - sucked some of the belief out of the Waterford team. In the last few minutes, there was a sense of inevitability about the outcome.

Nobody should be surprised by the amount of switching about that Waterford did in attack. Tipperary did their fair share of it too. Hurling isn't like soccer or rugby - you don't pick a guy to be a prop forward and expect him to do nothing else. If he can be more effective somewhere else you move him.

The sad thing is that this is the end of Waterford for almost nine months. Next Sunday, it will be the end for either Cork or Limerick. The whole thing is crazy. Players and management are putting in so much, training five times a week, and suddenly that's the end of it. Something has to be done to address the situation.

It's an awful pity that Waterford are gone so soon, really disappointing for players who have put so much into their preparation.

But there is no doubt that Tipperary were the better team, and that they played the better hurling. They were hungry for this. And, although they never really looked like scoring a goal, Tipperary created a huge number of scoring chances, primarily for points. The large number of wides, though, is a concern. They cannot afford to repeat this when they meet Clare.

As Nicky English has been pointing out, this is basically a young Tipperary team. Yesterday's lessons will serve them well. One of the big lessons they should take out of the game is from the first 30 minutes or so when Waterford players bustled and harried them into trouble. In fairness, their second-half display, when they were the players doing most of the harrying, made it appear as if they learnt very quickly. However, they should have put Waterford well and truly away in the second half, and they didn't: which suggests that there is still some learning to be done.

In an interview with Philip Reid