Kilkenny–Waterford hurling rivalry

The Kilkenny-Waterford rivalry is a hurling rivalry between Irish inter-county teams Kilkenny and Waterford, who first played each other in 1957. In spite of the infrequent nature of the meetings, it is considered to be one of the most intense rivalry matches in Gaelic games.^[1] Kilkenny's home ground is Nowlan Park and Waterford's home ground is Walsh Park, however, all of their championship meetings have been held at neutral venues, usually Croke Park.

While Kilkenny have the highest number of All-Ireland and Leinster titles, Waterford have enjoyed success at sporadic intervals throughout their history winning just two All-Ireland titles.

Roots

History

Kilkenny are one of the most successful teams in the championship, having captured thirty four All-Ireland titles, and together with Cork and Tipperaryform hurling's 'Big Three'. Waterford, on the other hand, have had sporadic periods of success throughout championship history resulting in two only All-Ireland titles. After a golden age for the team in the 1950s and 1960s Waterford went into severe decline in subsequent decades.

The Kilkenny - Waterford hurling rivalry first began in 1957 with their first meeting in the All-Ireland Hurling Final. Kilkenny won on a scoreline of 4-10 to 3-12. Two years later, in 1959, the teams played out a draw. Until 2012, this had been the last drawn game in the All-Ireland Hurling Final. The replay saw Waterford win their 2nd, and last to date All-Ireland Hurling Championship. The game was also notable for the Kilkenny debut of Eddie Keher. The two teams also met in the 1963 Final, with Kilkenny winning. This would be the last game between the two teams for 35 years.

During the 1990s and 2000s, Waterford hurling experienced a resurgence after the dark periods of the 1970s and 1980s. Waterford met Kilkenny in two semi-finals in both 1998 and 2004, with Waterford losing in two close battles. Having not played in a final since 1963, Waterford again met Kilkenny in the 2008 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final. The game has become infamous for its one-sidedness. it is the only All-Ireland Final on record to Start at 3:30 and finish at 3:30. Kilkenny won the game, with the biggest scoring difference for over 80 years. The expectation and excitement in Waterford was palpable in the buildup and a huge crowd travelled from the town. Several without tickets. A steward found hundreds of Desie men climbing over the wall of the Hill 16 end 20 mins into the first half, he ordered them to get down and go back in. Since then, the two teams have met in one other Semi-final and a qualifier. Again Kilkenny were triumphant on both occasions.

Kilkenny hold the following records: Records[edit]Most All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Titles: 34 Most All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship Titles: 11 [tied Cork] Most All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship Titles: 20 Most Provincial Senior Hurling Championship Titles: 68 Most Provincial U21 Hurling Championship Titles: 23 Most Provincial Minor Hurling Championship Titles: 52 Most Provincial Intermediate Hurling Championship Titles: 13 Longest Unbeaten Hurling Championship Run: 21 Games All-time top scorer All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship: Henry Shefflin – 27–480 (561pts) Highest score in All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final: 3–30 (2008 v Waterford) [tied Cork 1970]

Waterford hold the following records:

Outside of hurling

The intensity of the rivalry has also been stoked outside of hurling. The two counties share a border. which is the river Suir. Due to the expansion of Waterford City, numerous areas of south County Kilkenny have been transferred to County Waterford by an Act of the Oireachtas. Future expansion of County Waterford into County Kilkenny has been muted which has heightened the rivalry.

Statistics

All time results

Top scorers

References

External links

• All-time Kilkenny-Waterford results