Tipperary: T Dunne 0-5 (all frees), J Leahy 0-3, M O'Leary 0-2, D Ryan 0-2, P Shelly 0-2, P O'Brien 0-1, B O'Meara 0-1, P Ryan 0-1.

Waterford: K McGrath 0-3, P Flynn 0-3 (two frees), D Bennett 0-2, P Queally 0-2, F Hartley 0-1 (free), T Browne 0-1, D Shanahan 0-1, B O'Sullivan 0-1.

Referee: D Murphy (Wexford).

Booked: Waterford - Brenner. Tipperary - none.

Sent off - none.

All the guessing, evasions, bluff and counter-bluff evaporated at Pairc Ui Chaoimh yesterday. The stark reality of a mediocre match was that Tipperary were deserving winners, but they will work towards next month's Guinness Munster semi-final against Clare in the full knowledge that drastic improvements are necessary.

No one cares excessively about the future in knockout competition and in the here-and-now, winning manager Nicky English was a relieved man.

This was a curious affair. Despite looking likely winners for virtually the entire second half, Tipperary won by only three points.

Much of the discrepancy lies in their enormous wides' total of 18 - as against eight for Waterford - and some heroic deeds in the losers' defence, but there was a nagging failure to bury their opponents long after the death certificate had been signed.

English can take certain comforts from the afternoon. His defence, leaky as a tenement roof in last month's league final, was transformed into a unit with a combative, and at times majestic, half-back platform and, crucially, a hard-working and dogged inside line.

There was also a vintage performance from John Leahy. Thirty this year, he qualifies as a veteran having won his first All-Ireland all of 11 championships ago. Before the throw-in he switched with Brian O'Meara and joined Tommy Dunne at centrefield.

Yesterday it took Leahy only 26 seconds to fire over the match's first point. Later in the first half, he added two further points at the sort of range from which others might use a howitzer rather than a hurl.

In general play he roamed busily and effectively and, in the dressingroom afterwards, he was commended by one and all for the example he had shown his younger colleagues and the encouragement his display had given everyone.

Declan Ryan, the other survivor of 1989, didn't reach Leahy's heights but buffeted away on the 40 and caused panic in his opponents' defence with a couple of early, bullocking runs.

So strong was the wind blowing with Tipperary in the first half that the point-for-point scoring was a great motivation for Waterford. As long as they could keep within a point or so on the scoreboard, the second half would be comfortably within reach.

On 30 minutes, Mark O'Leary had a goal chance but hit it straight at Waterford goalkeeper Brendan Landers who had an excellent match behind a hard-working defence.

Trailing by only a point, Waterford needed only to play out the last five minutes and reach the interval without conceding too much more.

Instead they were outscored by five points to one as Tipp's forwards made the most telling incisions of the afternoon. Even the hitherto subdued debutantes, Mark O'Leary and Paddy O'Brien, joined in and, by the interval, the lead was 0-11 to 0-6.

The platform for this, Tipperary's defensive improvement, was greatly facilitated by one savage piece of ill-luck which befell Waterford and helped destroy their championship.

Approximately 10 minutes into the match, Ken McGrath fell awkwardly and twisted his ankle.

Although he played on and added a couple of points, his mobility was badly restricted and the contribution he was able to make dwindled until he was replaced in the 57th minute.

He was the centre of pre-match speculation - moved from his usual role on the 40 to full forward. For the opening minutes yesterday, he looked like he would devour Philip Maher. But McGrath's injury tilted the balance.

From then on, Maher was excellent in the tidy, unshowy way which typified his league. Not one of the ensuing parade of Waterford full forwards managed to unsettle him.

Waterford's manager Gerald McCarthy was forced to rifle through his poorly-stocked substitutes bench in a desperate attempt to find solutions to his mounting problems - and with no success.

His A-list players, Tony Browne and in particular Paul Flynn, were unable to make a substantial contribution. Browne worked hard to get some rhythm going but wasn't the central figure Waterford needed him to be.

Another of his main players, wing back Stephen Frampton had to leave the field injured on 46 minutes. Two years ago, Waterford had overturned Tipperary's fivepoint interval lead, and without such a strong wind to assist them. Yesterday, however, Flynn and Dave Bennett missed scoreable frees on the restart and from then on it was an uphill task.

Despite the increasing anarchy and disorganisation of Waterford's attack, the match remained open on the scoreboard but there was never a sense that they would exert the sort of sustained pressure necessary to crack Tipperary's confident defence.

Goal chances did come and, at the end of the third quarter, Dan Shanahan had a double opportunity, but the dependable Brendan Cummins in the Tipp goal saved and Maher blocked the second attempt.

Peter Queally rampaged up for a point to cut the deficit to three. But in the remaining 12 minutes, Waterford could only swap points to leave the margin intact.