Here are our previews for the four provincial championship semi-finals taking place on Sunday.

Sunday, June 19th

Munster SHC semi-final

Tipperary v Limerick, Semple Stadium, 4pm

Tipperary's crusade for back-to-back Munster titles continues on Sunday as they welcome Limerick to Thurles for what should be another fascinating contest down south.

The Premier men strolled past a flat Cork outfit four weeks ago in a game where talisman Seamus Callanan didn't disappoint in his eagerly awaited return, notching 0-8 in a nine-point victory over the Rebels. Should the big Drom-Inch man be in similar form again this weekend then the Shannonsiders will be in trouble, as John O'Dwyer, Noel McGrath and John McGrath all offer a splendid supporting cast up front.

TJ Ryan and his selectors will have been racking their brains over the last month to come up with a way to try and curtail that threat, with another sweeper system likely to be deployed. Along with that, they'll need the likes of Declan Hannon and Shane Dowling to step up to the plate and shoot the lights out at Semple Stadium if the 10/3 odds stacked against them are to be defied.

Verdict: Tipperary


Leinster SHC semi-final

Offaly v Galway, O'Moore Park, 3.30pm

Galway entered the 2016 championship without a misstep two weeks ago when they demolished Michael Ryan's Westmeath and they're on course for another Leinster final berth here. The Tribesmen are 1/25 favourites to send Offaly into the qualifiers this weekend and with the options that manager Micheál Donoghue has at his disposal it's difficult to envisage those odds being upset. Having gone off the last day, Joe Canning had concussion fears allayed after the 17-point win over the Lake County and should be good to go on Sunday, while Jason Flynn, Cathal Mannion and Conor Whelan will all be looking to add to their own championship tallies and fire the west siders to victory in Portlaoise.

Offaly came through the province's qualifier group before disposing of Laois to get this far and have been heavily reliant on star attackers Shane Dooley and Joe Bergin in doing so. It's hard to picture the pair having as much joy this time round as they're coming up against a legitimate All-Ireland contender for the first time this summer.

The winners will battle it out with Kilkenny on July 3rd for the right to bring home the Bob O'Keeffe Cup.

Verdict: Galway
 

Ulster SHC semi-finals

Derry v Antrim, Athletic Grounds, 5pm

After the fiasco that was the Christy Ring Cup final, Antrim return to action this Sunday looking to edge one step closer to a 15th consecutive Ulster senior hurling championship crown. Their opponents Derry fell to Mayo in a relegation/promotion play-off in the same competition last Saturday and seem to be too much out of sorts to cause a shock against the Glensmen in this derby.

Verdict: Antrim
 

Down v Armagh, Athletic Grounds, 7pm

The second part of a double header at the Athletic Grounds on Sunday evening sees hosts Armagh take on Down for a place in the Ulster final. The Orchard men recently ran Mayo close in the Nicky Rackard Cup decider and will be keen to make up for that defeat against their Mourne counterparts on home turf. When these sides met in the Division 2B league final in Dundalk back in March, it was Armagh that emerged victorious as marksman Ryan Gaffney struck 0-11 in a 0-20 to 1-15 win and a similar pattern could very well follow here.

Verdict: Armagh

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