Tipperary trailed by nine at half time but substitute Jake Morris' injury-time point secured them a 2-20 to 1-23 draw with Cork at Semple Stadium.

Tipp are still without a win in the round-robin series of the new-look provincial competition but how crucial will the point picked up today prove to be when the final tallies are totted up?

The holders dominated the first half to carry a commanding nine-point lead into the interval, 1-15 to 1-6. The tone was set during the first 13 minutes as the visitors reeled off seven unanswered points courtesy of Daniel Kearney (3), Seamus Harnedy (2) and Patrick Horgan (2).

Jason Forde opened the Premier account with a sensational 14^th-minute goal, followed quickly by points from Brendan Maher, Noel McGrath and Patrick Maher as they edged within the minimum, 0-7 to 1-3. However, a run of scores from Shane Kingston (2), Harnedy, Horgan, Kearney and Bill Cooper pushed the gap back out to seven with half an hour played.

When McGrath pulled back a point, Cork's riposte was emphatic - a sensational Kingston goal from a tight angle which left Tipp with it all to do at the short whistle.

Scores from Forde (3), Noel McGrath and John McGrath handed the hosts an excellent start to the second half but a 42^nd-minute Horgan free made it 1-16 to 1-11. Lehane's point was cancelled out by John McGrath and the game exploded to life in the 48^th minute when Noel McGrath slotted Tipp's second major to reduce the arrears to three points.

Cooper and Forde ('65') swapped points as the game remained in the melting pot with 20 minutes left, 1-20 to 2-14.

John O'Dwyer closed the gap to two on 55 minutes and John McGrath reduced it to the minimum, then equalised with eleven minutes left. Harnedy and Kingston (2) thumped over three massive scores in the 54^th and 55^th minutes as the Leesiders moved three clear again; Anthony Nash executed an incredible diving save down to his right to deny O'Dwyer before Forde and John McGrath pointed to leave the minimum between the sides once more going into the last three minutes…

Following a mix-up in the Cork defence, Morris equalised in the second minute of injury time at the end of an excellent game. Hawk-Eye was consulted to confirm that final score and it all added to the excitement on a memorable occasion in Thurles.

Tipperary - B Hogan; S O'Brien, S Kennedy, M Cahill; Joe O'Dwyer, R Maher, Padraic Maher; B Maher (0-1), B McCarthy (0-1); Patrick Maher (0-1), N McGrath (1-3), D McCormack; S Callanan (0-1), J Forde (1-6, 0-4f, 0-2'65), J McGrath (0-5). Subs: John O'Dwyer (0-1) for Patrick Maher, J Morris (0-1) for S Callanan, G Browne for B McCarthy.

Cork - A Nash; S O'Donoghue, D Cahalane, C Spillane; M Ellis, C Joyce, M Coleman; D Fitzgibbon, B Cooper (0-2); L Meade, C Lehane (0-2), D Kearney (0-4); S Harnedy (0-5), S Kingston (1-5), P Horgan (0-5, 2f). Subs: B Lawton for L Meade, T O'Mahony for D Kearney, J Coughlan for S Kingston.

Referee - J Keenan.

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