Wexford may have produced quality hurling in the Leinster final, but yesterday they returned to Croke Park a different team. That day they brought passion, skill and most notably pace. The return yielded none of the above.

Their only victory was the toss but they allowed Clare to play with the wind first so they couldn't even get that right.

"We said the first 20 minutes was massive," said Clare coach Anthony Daly. "Jaysus, they elected to keep us in it for that period because that's effectively what the breeze did. In possession and territorially. We kept our shape, though."

It was desperately dour hurling but Clare were solid in defence, against a one-dimensional attack, and seven of the eight attacking players scored. The odd one out was Barry Nugent, but though unfit and out of position, he did set up Alan Markham for the pivotal first goal.

Daly will have learned little but at least Clare get to test themselves again.

Wexford may have been hugely disappointing but Clare still had to counter the style that so nearly overcame Kilkenny. In the end brawn overwhelmed speed hurling.

"They made no secret of the game they played. Anyone who watched the video of the Leinster final could see Wexford play a moving and running game. That's their game. They probably don't have the physique up front so they have to move the ball. We knew that and coped with it fairly well."

Wexford panicked far too early in the contest by seeking goals. The high balls into the forwards were perfectly gift-wrapped for Brian Lohan, who - along with his brother Frank, Seánie McMahon and Gerry Quinn - made it look so easy to play the game.

"You know you are going to start looking for goals and players made the wrong decision some of the time," admitted Wexford coach Séamus Murphy.

"We starting lobbing a few balls when there were five or six points on there. Brian Lohan and fellas like that mopped it up completely."

So why have Wexford failed (again) to produce a second consecutive performance of note in the championship? Besides pointing to the loss of Declan Ruth to injury, Murphy could not supply a definitive answer.

"The lads were well prepared. There wasn't any extra tension there. They brought in the same attitude as (in) the Kilkenny and Laois matches. It's something you can't really put your finger on. I'm sure you have to give credit to Clare, they knuckled down to a job today."

Daly was content. Deep into the second year of his tenure as Clare manager, after such a glorious time as captain, he continues to cajole performances out of former team-mates. An All-Ireland semi-final is a good return for a county no longer producing the magical hurlers of the 1990s.

"We could be the worst team in the last four, you never know," he said deadpan. "We'll have a go at it anyway. We don't have the resources the others have but we have the best 30 players in the county in there with us.

"We'll try and make the best of our own game but obviously we will be total underdogs.

"We'll have to improve as that's not the pace the Corks and Waterfords and Kilkennys will be at."