Cork v Tipperary: The latest instalment of hurling's most storied rivalry has sprung itself on the public rather than remorselessly emerging as an eagerly awaited inevitability. Tomorrow's Guinness Munster hurling final wasn't predictable at the start of the season.

Cork had to overcome Waterford and there was little certainty that Tipperary would survive on their side of the draw.

So the first meeting of the counties at this stage for five years is a bit of a surprise. There is also a large disparity between the perspectives of the teams.

Cork are grappling with the task of retaining the All-Ireland, whereas Tipperary are already relatively happy.

A major thrashing would diminish that happiness but all things being equal, Ken Hogan's team will be competitive and are already assured of a place in the All-Ireland quarter-final.

After a slow start, the county's hitherto reluctant supporters have swung behind the team and tomorrow's final is one of the summer's hottest tickets, partly because of the declining capacity of the Cork venue but mostly as a reflection of the huge interest in the fixture.

The closer the match approaches the more these contrasting pressures worry Cork people and cheer up their opponents. There is also the fact that Tipperary - admittedly from a wretched starting point - have improved incrementally.

Cork beat Waterford with a less than vintage performance and aren't firing on all the cylinders that propelled them through last year's All-Ireland series.

It's interesting to note that when the teams met less than a year ago there was nothing in the match until the final 15 minutes. In fact Tipperary had started very well and should have been further ahead than four points at half-time but gave away a sequence of soft frees that helped keep Cork afloat.

But there are limits to how far you can stretch the cloth at both ends. On successive days last month the Tipp-Limerick replay and the Cork-Waterford matches were played and there was a substantial difference in quality between the two.

In the semi-finals Clare proved quite disappointing but even so pointed up some serious deficiencies in the Tipperary defence without punishing them fully.

For tomorrow Philip Maher comes back to steady the defence and that will be an improvement, though last year in Killarney Brian Corcoran gave an accomplished performance in dropping off the square and going out for ball, which troubled Maher.

Opinion on David Kennedy's performances to date has been divided but he suffered, not for the first time, against Tony Griffin in the Clare match and tomorrow faces one of Cork's most potent weapons, Niall McCarthy.

In last July's meeting, McCarthy won the man-of-the-match award. His workrate was phenomenal, and whereas his marker won quite a bit of ball off the Cork centre forward, Declan Fanning made mistakes that undid much good work.

If there are ambiguities in the Tipperary defence, the front eight have even more questions to answer.

Before the Clare semi-final Ger Loughnane pointed out on television that Tipp's spine was very inexperienced, with Micheál Webster and Francis Devanney at full forward and centre forward a pairing who had never before started a championship match together.

In the event they both had fine matches but the jury is out on whether they can repeat such displays on Diarmuid O'Sullivan and Ronan Curran.

O'Sullivan didn't play well against Waterford but again it is interesting to remember that this match last year marked his return to form after an unimpressive afternoon in the Munster final against Waterford.

Webster troubled O'Sullivan in the NHL match between the counties even if he didn't score, so the Cork full back has been warned.

Lightning may not strike twice for Tipperary, but Redser O'Grady gives Hogan an impact option on the bench.

This match's big imponderable will be how successfully the home team can recover and whet their appetite after last year's success. Eoin Kelly remains a blue-chip scoring forward and Colin Morrissey and Tommy Dunne have provided strength and subtlety on the wings, but Lar Corbett isn't expected to make the cut, as his hamstring injury hasn't sufficiently recovered.

It will take a big performance by Tipperary and a poor one by Cork to work the oracle here and it's hard to see both coinciding.

Cork: D Cusack; B Murphy, D O'Sullivan, P Mulcahy; J Gardiner, R Curran, S Ó hAilpín; T Kenny, J O'Connor; B Connor, N McCarthy, T McCarthy; K Murphy, B Corcoran, J Deane.

Tipperary: B Cummins; E Corcoran, P Maher, P Curran; D Fanning, D Kennedy, D Fitzgerald; B Dunne, P Kelly; C Morrissey, F Devanney, T Dunne; E Kelly, M Webster, AN Other.

Referee: B Kelly (Westmeath).