Plenty on the line as Kilkenny and Kildare clash in rare championship meeting
The Cats are looking for a second win of the campaign
Kilkenny and Kildare will meet for the first time ever in championship hurling when they lock horns in UPMC Nowlan Park this Saturday evening.
Both counties are very much in must win mode for very different reasons as the Cats looks to claw their way into a Leinster decider and the visitors try to avoid the drop back to the Joe McDonagh Cup.
Kilkenny have had a friendly relationship with the Lilywhites over the years with Andy Comerford and David Herity previously managing the side ahead of Brian Dowling returning to the Marble City in the opposition dugout tomorrow night.
Remarkably the counties have never met in league or championship but they have played twice in the Walsh Cup including last January’s Shield Final meeting which Kilkenny won on a 1-20 to 2-13 scoreline in Callan.
Derek Lyng’s team will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing draw with Offaly in Tullamore though the potential season ending injury to Jordan Molloy is a huge blow.
Depending on results elsewhere Kilkenny may need two wins over the next two weekends to ensure themselves of a place in the knockout stages of the All-Ireland Championship so there’s very little wriggle room.
As it stands Kilkenny are on three points, having lost to Galway, beaten Wexford and drew with Offaly; Kildare lost their three games to Wexford, Dublin and Galway.
It leaves Kilkenny in third place with two games to go (they play Dublin in the final round).
Kildare have the lowest scoring return and the highest concession rate of the six teams, having lost to Wexford by eight points, to Dublin by eleven points and to Galway by nine points.
Having taken three points so far, this is Kilkenny’s lowest return from three rounds in the Leinster ‘round robin’ since its introduction in 2018.
A game where it is all to play for.