Kilkenny travel to Thurles in bid to get title challenge back on track

All Super 8s games will take place at Croke Park across Saturday and Sunday

Kilkenny will travel to Thurles for the second Sunday running as they attempt to get their All-Ireland hurling title challenge back on track.

Brian Cody’s side will take on Limerick at Semple Stadium (2pm) knowing that a win will secure an All-Ireland semi-final place, the stage they would have reached if they had beaten Galway there last Sunday.

The 2015 winners will return to the Tipperary venue knowing that a repeat of the form they showed in fighting back against Galway would seriously trouble John Kiely’s side.

Clare and Wexford have been handed a Saturday afternoon fixture at Páirc Ui Chaoimh (3pm), leaving both sets of supporters with a challenge to avoid weekend shopping traffic. Interestingly the venue choices means that Hawk-Eye will be in operation for just one of the games, in Thurles, with the system not yet installed at Páirc Ui Chaoimh.

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The score detection technology was called upon to adjudicate on a number of decisions during last Sunday’s Leinster final replay win for Galway.

Meanwhile, the Central Competitions Control Committee looks set to confirm the Super 8s fixtures at the beginning of each week.

All of this weekend’s games will take place at Croke Park, across Saturday and Sunday, although the exact details of the home and away games on subsequent weekends have yet to be confirmed.

All-Ireland holders Dublin will play Donegal this Saturday (7pm) following the meeting of Roscommon and Tyrone (5pm).

Last team

On Sunday, Munster champions Kerry will meet Connacht winners Galway (4pm) following the clash of qualifier sides Kildare and Monaghan (2pm).

Monaghan were the last team to make the quarter-final stage following last Sunday’s Round 4 qualifier win over Laois, and their reward is a place in arguably the tougher of the two Super 8s groups.

“It’s certainly a tough group, but they’re both tough in fairness,” said Monaghan manager Malachy O’Rourke. “I wouldn’t pick or choose but we know we are in a really tough group for sure. Kildare are hitting top form, Kerry are looking impressive and then there is Galway who have been one of the form teams all year. It’s a really difficult group but that’s where everyone wants to be, it will be a really good test.”

Kieran Hughes came on for Monaghan in the win over Laois after missing a number of games with a hamstring injury but may not start against Kildare.

“I don’t know about that, he came in and did okay but missed a fair bit of training, so like everything else we’ll assess how he is during the week,” said O’Rourke.

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SATURDAY

All-Ireland senior football championship

Quarter-final. Group 2, Phase 1

Roscommon v Tyrone, Croke Park, 5pm. Sky Sports

Dublin v Donegal, Croke Park, 7pm. RTÉ

All-Ireland senior hurling championship

Quarter-final

Clare v Wexford, Páirc Ui Chaoimh, 3pm. RTÉ

SUNDAY

All-Ireland senior football championship

Quarter-final. Group 1, Phase 1

Kildare v Monaghan, Croke Park, 2pm

Kerry v Galway, Croke Park, 4pm

All-Ireland senior hurling championship

Kilkenny v Limerick, Thurles, 2pm