The Guinness All-Ireland hurling final will bring the game into uncharted waters next month when two teams from the same province, Clare and Tipperary, will contest the title. Wexford's colourful reign ended at Croke Park yesterday when they went the way of their football counterparts Meath on Saturday - and just as emphatically. There were other similarities in the respective fates of both Leinster champions. Like Meath, Wexford had looked a bit light on the bench and so it proved when injury gutted their right wing and they lost captain Rod Guiney early on and forward Rory McCarthy by half-time. Furthermore, Gary Laffan, passed fit at full forward, struggled throughout the match.

For all that, Tipperary won well. Wexford's uninjured players never got into their stride and although they chased the match until the very end, it was nearly always at a distance of four or five points as the winners frequently managed answering scores within a minute of the concession.

Once they got into their stride - helped by an early blitz from John Leahy - Tipperary were in control. From Leahy's goal in the fifth minute, the Munster finalists were never led for the remainder of the match.

The most pressing concern that manager Len Gaynor will take from the afternoon is that Leahy sustained a suspected broken cheekbone in the first half and had to be substituted in the 51st minute. Diagnosis will be anxiously awaited to see if the player is likely to be available for the final on September 14th.

In all areas Tipperary exceeded the glum expectations. The introduction of a number of heftier personnel after the Munster final eclipse by Clare was widely seen as smacking of desperation, but the bigger men made a difference and the team looked a lot more formidable than in Pairc Ui Chaoimh last month.

Such weaknesses as they exhibited weren't fully exploited by Wexford. This was most evident in defence where even an unfit-looking Laffan and Martin Storey threatened devastation on Noel Sheehy and Colm Bonnar. Storey briefly revived the menace after half-time when moving in on Sheehy, but by full-time, the winners' defence had a buoyant air.

Much against general expectation, Tommy Dunne and Conor Gleeson ruled centrefield - apart from a brief revival by the largely subdued Adrian Fenlon in the second half - where Larry O'Gorman had a very poor afternoon for the champions.

In the left corner, Brian O'Meara caused more trouble than had been anticipated and even if his goal had an element of good luck as he appeared to mis-hit the ball. His final tally of 1-1 was a good return on a performance which saw his bulk cause Wexford's defence problems.

Right wing forward Liam McGrath used his strength to good effect despite his more obvious suitability for the central positions. Beside him, Declan Ryan became more influential as the match wore on, but his marker Liam Dunne still hurled plenty of ball.

Within nine seconds of the throw-in, Leahy left his calling card, taking the ball in space and pointing. Shortly afterwards came a moment that has some retrospective importance. Storey played the ball in behind the Tipperary full-back line and Laffan was clear on goal. Had he found the net, the complexion of the match might have been different, but he mis-hit the shot which was deflected out by Brendan Cummins.

Liam Dunne and Storey conjured the equaliser from the 65 and in the fifth minute, Dunne again helped set up a score for Tom Dempsey after a knock-down by Laffan. These were significant moments because Wexford led for the only time in the match and had to cope with the severe loss of captain Rod Guiney, who appeared to twist his already heavily-bandaged knee.

John O'Connor came on as substitute, but within seconds had lost Leahy who sneaked in behind the defence to tip Conor Gleeson's dropping ball into the net.

The decision to replace Guiney with O'Connor rather than the captain's twin brother, Dave, was a surprise because the latter had played very well against Kilkenny.

One noticeable aspect of Tipperary's enthusiasm was the commitment to the ball. Time after time, Wexford players found themselves shadowed and harried and frequently the ball was blocked down.

Nonetheless, in the first quarter Wexford's forwards were seeing enough play to stay in contention, but only Storey looked capable of making things happen. Dempsey was being well contained by Paul Shelly (in the second half he saved a goal by whipping a ball off Dempsey's toe) and crucially, on the wings the pace of Larry Murphy and Rory McCarthy was gathering rather than raising dust as both Liam Sheedy and Conal Bonnar took a firm grip.

It was the champions' least renowned forward who scored most. Paul Codd sent over two fine points in the 20th and 35th minutes, but little was going right for his team. As in the first half of the Leinster final, players were under-performing.

They were further undone in the 28th minute when a block by Sheehy on Laffan began a move that ended with O'Meara sending Leahy clear and when his shot was saved, O'Meara squeezed in the rebound in the ensuing chaos.

Tommy Dunne was playing well at centrefield and managed three points, including one free.

Half-time arrived with Wexford in abysmal shape and trailing 0-7 to 27. The players who had delivered the Leinster final by raising their game in the second half were unlikely to repeat the feat. Laffan, although instrumental in four of his team's seven first-half scores, wasn't mobile enough for the switch to the 40 which had played a big role in defeating Kilkenny.

Rory McCarthy, whose four points were equally influential, had to retire injured after an accidental collision with Conal Bonnar. The knock left McCarthy in obvious distress but referee Joe O'Leary had a short way with medics - he booked one of Tipp's - evidently feeling that you should be wearing a frock coat and leading a hearse before being allowed attend to a player.

Storey's switch with Laffan threatened good things for Wexford, but after a burst of two points between the 43rd and 44th minutes, the Oulart man found the afternoon more frustrating - not as frustrating as his defence whose supply of ball was diverted into a series of wides and unconverted frees.

By now Wexford's full-back line of Colm Kehoe, Ger Cushe and Eugene Furlong were on top of their game with Cushe making some fine clearances and Flood subduing Leahy until the latter's substitution.

Billy Byrne's entry on the hour was treated with the fervour of a revivalist meeting, but although he has nailed down victories for Wexford, seldom have his goals turned a match that was running against the team.

Nonetheless, the tendency to take their own points like the Wexford of old gave way to another familiar failing, that of bombing the square with high ball.

Tipperary were only occasionally bothered and steamed away at the other end as Michael Cleary rediscovered his higher gears with some late points to supplement others by O'Meara and Liam Cahill for a comfortable and historic victory.