Well not many saw that coming,least of all in Kilkenny or Tipperary but there can be no doubt the better team won.

Even Brian Cody admitted as much,and despite feeling the Kilkenny man's ire in the post match press conference he was able to admit that his side were well beaten in the end.

Over the next few winter months all the talk in Kilkenny will be of where did it go wrong and how they can plot to get back to the summit.

There is no doubt that Henry Shefflin's loss was enormous and I believe that starting the Ballyhale man was  a mistake,injured players won't get better as the game goes on and personally I didn't feel he had touched a ball in open play during that first 14 mins.

No one can say for sure how much the talk of five in a row affected Kilkenny but the true test of this side will be how they respond to defeat.

Can they emerge Phoenix like from the ashes and claim Liam again next year or is this a "watershed" as I posed to Mr.Cody on Sunday?

it is the task of recovering from defeat,which some of this team have never experienced will be the true test of Kilkenny and Cody's management and how he can regain the top eat in irish hurlingthat will be most interesting to view.