Waterford's brilliant renaissance continued with a magnificent 3-19 to 1-21 defeat of holders Cork at Semple Stadium.

21,047 spectators looked on in awe as Derek McGrath's well-drilled side powered through to a July 12th provincial final date with either Tipperary or Limerick. On the evidence of this display, they have every chance of adding the Munster crown to the league title gleaned earlier this year.

Two goals in the space of three electrified minutes from Maurice Shanahan (27) and Jake Dillon (29) handed the victors a narrow 2-6 to 0-11 half-time lead. Cork, who at one stage led by six points to two, were rattled but registered the last three scores before the break to remain very much in the contest.

But Waterford bossed the second half to deservedly progress to the decider. Cork finished the match with 14 men as full forward Luke O'Farrell was lined near the end.

Each team made a change to their starting XVs: the Rebels brought in Pa Cronin in place of the injured Seamus Harnedy while Na Deise opted to go with Shanahan instead of Tom Devine (who would come off the bench to strike his team's crucial, match-settling third goal). Cork started best with points from Conor Lehane and Mark Ellis inside the opening four.

In contrast, the league winners started nervously and posted a few poor early wides before finally getting off the mark from a great long-range Austin Gleeson free in the eighth minute. Patrick Horgan almost got in for a Cork goal but drove a tame shot straight at goalkeeper Stephen O'Keeffe who gratefully executed a routine safe. Horgan converted a free to leave two between them after ten minutes.

A diving Anthony Nash save denied Stephen Bennett a Waterford goal and Kevin Moran registered Waterford's seventh wide in the twelfth minute. Cronin knocked over a fourth Cork point after brilliant play from Alan Cadogan and Shanahan replied from a soft free in front of the posts: 0-4 to 0-2 after 15 minutes.

Cronin's second and a Daniel Kearney point were cancelled out by Shanahan (free) and Kevin Moran - with Na Deise's first score from play - before Horgan made it 0-7 to 0-4.  But Shanahan lit up the match in the 27th minute when he beat Nash with a bullet into the top right corner of the Cork net.

Derek McGrath's men led for the first time through Tadhg de Búrca and the Leesiders were temporarily level thanks to O'Farrell before Dillon planted a second Waterford goal to the roof of the net on 29 minutes: 2-5 to 0-8.

Nash thwarted Dillon two minutes later with the Cork defence all over the place and Shanahan brought his haul to 1-3 from the subsequent '65'. Cronin powered back to point a determined riposte. Aidan Walsh's perseverance paid off when he finally bagged his first point a minute from the interval and Cadogan closed the first-half scoring with an injury-time strike.

Shanahan won and converted a free two minutes after the restart and added another 60 seconds later following a Damien Cahalane foul on Michael Walsh. Colin Dunford had the freedom of Thurles to race through and make it a four-point match in the 39th minute.

Shanahan's point cancelled out a free from Horgan after Nash denied Moran a third Waterford major. Cronin and substitute Shane Bennett traded scores and Shanahan nailed a free in the 48th minute to make it a five-point game - 2-12 to 0-13.

Stephen Bennett twice cancelled out Horgan frees and Cronin's fifth point followed one from Moran as Waterford remained five points in front with 15 minutes to go.

Cadogan and Shanahan (free) swapped scores before points from Horgan (free) and Lehane reduced the Rebels' arrears to four. But Shanahan (free) was on hand to bring his tally to 1-9.

Any lingering hopes of a dramatic Cork revival were scuppered when full forward O'Farrell was shown a straight red card for an off-the-ball incident six minutes from the end. Bill Cooper's point had the 14 men back within four with as many minutes left.

Substitute Patrick Curran marked his championship debut with a fine point 60 seconds from the end of normal time and the Rebels were handed a potential lifeline when Horgan drilled a penalty low to the net on the stroke of 70 minutes following a foul on Lehane.

Four minutes of added time were announced, with two points between the teams…

In the second added minute, Wateford substitute Tom Devine poked the sliothar to the net at the second attempt to put the game to bed with his side's third three-pointer.

Waterford - S O'Keeffe; S Fives, B Coughlan, N Connors; T De Burca (0-1), A Gleeson (0-1f), P Mahony; C Dunford (0-1), J Barron; M Walsh, K Moran (0-2), J Dillon (1-0); Stephen Bennett (0-2), M Shanahan (1-9, 0-7f, 0-1'65), B O'Halloran. Subs: Shane Bennett (0-2) for B O'Halloran, T Devine (1-0) for Stephen Bennett, E Barrett for C Dunford, P Curran (0-1) for J Dillon.

Cork - A Nash; S O'Neill, S McDonnell, B Murphy; D Cahalane, M Ellis (0-1), C Murphy; D Kearney (0-1), B Cooper (0-1); C Lehane (0-1), P Cronin (0-5), A Walsh (0-1); A Cadogan (0-2), P Horgan (1-7, 1-0pen, 0-6f), L O'Farrell (0-1). Subs: R O'Shea for C Murphy, D McCarthy (0-1'65) for D Kearney, P O'Sullivan for A Walsh.

Referee - B Kelly.

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