TJ Reid was in fine form.

Tipperary 1-15
Kilkenny 4-24

Kilkenny were at their marauding best yesterday as they swept Tipperary aside to secure yet another All-Ireland senior hurling final berth.

Over 50,000 saw Brian Cody’s men put in an assured performance, beating Tipp by 18 points.

Tipperary had led the tie by a point at half-time.

They were suitably punished for such insolence after the restart as the Cats unleashed a hurling masterclass that yielded 3-15 in under 40 minutes.

Reid, Fogarty and Larkin were among those to shine.

Kilkenny have now reached 13 of the last 15 finals. Yesterday’s victory tees up a tantalising final with Galway on September 9.

The Tribesmen must now be fearing a reprisal for the shock July win over the Cats that earned them the Leinster senior hurling championship.

Speaking to the Irish Times, Cody was diplomatic, warning that the final could be anyone’s game.

“The last day we played Galway, there was only one team in it,” he said.

“They gave us a lesson and we were miles away and they went on to follow that up with a great performance against Cork.”

“I’m not going to start blowing them up and blowing us down. It’s a huge game ahead. Either team is capable of beating the other. It’s something to look forward to in the next couple of weeks.”